Card Master Sakura
by Ryhan
Summary: Sakura, older and wiser, and now the fully realized Master of the Cards, found that her power as a magician has grown, more than she knew. Now that she can rival Clow Reed's own power, can she protect Clow's creations, as he once did, against a new foe?
1. Sakura Li

Card Master Sakura

Sakura sat, one leg crossed over the other, in the large, high-backed chair that Clow Reed had once sat in. She was older, much older, and had grown into a beautiful young woman. Her hair was longer, and her green eyes sparkled with amusement. Her right elbow was propped on the arm of the chair and she rested her head on her hand. In the other hand, which lay across the other arm, was the Star Wand. She wore a long, pink gown with short, puffed sleeves at the shoulder, and pink shoes that laced up past her ankles.

Beside her, as always, stood Yue and Keroberos, the Guardians of the Cards, and her truest friends. "I do not wish to discuss this any further, Keroberos," Sakura said in a soft, but commanding, voice.

"Sakura.. it is inevitable."

Sakura sighed, obviously bored with the entire ordeal. "I know. In truth, I have thought of nothing but this for a long time, my friends. My time will end, but I am still quite young!" Sakura's laughter was cut short. Suddenly, her eyes became dull, and she seemed to be pulled into her own mind.

"Sakura!" Keroberos shouted with Yue, both of whom rushed to her. On the wall opposite the window that the great chair sat in front of, the door flew open, revealing an older Syaoran, wearing traditional robes much like that of his ancestor, Clow Reed's.

"Sakura?" he shouted, rushing to her. He put his hands on her shoulders, shaking her, but she did not see or hear him. He turned frantically to Keroberos. "What happened?" he demanded.

Keroberos shook his head. "I don't know! We were talking, and suddenly this happened!"

Yue looked at Syaoran. "We sensed no magic around us, nor do we still."

* * *

Sakura opened her eyes slowly. "What? Where am I?" she asked the darkness. She was still wearing her gown, and the Star Wand was still there. She held it up, looking at it. Then, looking around again, she called out: "Kero-chan! Yue!" The only answer was her echo. "...Syaoran....?" she asked timidly. Still no answer. Sakura stood, looking around.

"Welcome, Kinomoto Sakura," a male voice said. "Or shall I call you Li Sakura now? The wedding was only a few months ago, I believe." Out of the darkness stepped a tall, young man, no older than Sakura and certainly not younger. He had storm-grey eyes and dark red hair, short and slightly untidy, as if it were always like that. He was quite handsome, but had a menacing aura around him that caused even Sakura to shrink back.

However, Sakura's nerve was not all lost, and she glared at him in defiance. "Who are you?" she demanded, holding her wand towards him. He only smiled.

"I am nobody. I only wish to congratulate you on your superb mastery of the Clow Cards. Or, they're Star Cards now, are they not?" He chuckled. "I really should keep up better. However, I'm curious to know.. how powerful are you really?" At the man's words, he spread his arms wide, and beneath him a circle appeared. It was quite different from any that were used by the people Sakura knew of, but it was undoubtedly related. What was strange about this circle was that it was black- the aura, the magic, the light. Everything was black.

Sakura took a step back, clenching her teeth and her wand. She watched as a wand appeared in the man's hand, black and red, similar to her star wand, but the star inside the circle was upside down. However, the darkness still was thick around them, and Sakura could not see very well. "Light!" she shouted, pulling a Card from seemingly nowhere, and summoning its power.

Light flooded the area around them, but as it did so, the man vanished, leaving Sakura alone. "Sakura!" Still holding both the Light and her wand, Sakura spun around, but saw no one.

"Syaoran!" she shouted back, and suddenly everything around her disappeared. She woke up once more to the worried face of her beloved standing in front of her. "Syaoran?"

"Sakura!" Syaoran drew Sakura into a hug. "I was worried! What happened?"

"I.. I don't know." Suddenly, the lights around them started to flicker and dim. Sakura gasped, and the twenty Star Cards flew out and surrounded her, floating in the air. "The Cards!" The bright cards floated for a minute, then seemed to grow dull, and one by one, dropped to the ground.

"No!" Keroberos said, staring in disbelief.

"The Cards, what's happening!?" Yue asked.

Syaoran picked one up, looking at it. "Their power is being drained," he said, his brows furrowed. He turned to Sakura, who was breathing hard. He put a hand on her forehead. "You've got a fever! Sakura, what happened?"

"The Cards.. are in danger," was all she managed to say before she sunk back into the large chair. While Syaoran and the Guardians tended to Sakura, they paid no attention to the cards, one of which, began to disappear entirely.

* * *

"Well.. one down, it seems..."

The red-haired magician appeared somewhere far away, holding his black wand and a look of triumph on his face. In his other hand he held a Star Card. The pink and gold card seemed dull and lifeless in his hand, but he did not seem to care.

"Star Card!" he shouted, throwing it into the air. He then brought his wand up to meet it, and it stayed suspended in the air. Still smiling, he stared at it, and energy flowed from his staff. Beginning at the bottom of the card, it transformed, becoming black and silver. The process was slow, but finally the entirety of the card was black, silver, and red, rather than pink and yellow, or red and gold like the original Cards.

When the transformation was finished, the card fell to the ground, as did the young man. He was breathing heavily, but he smiled despite his weariness. The card lay there, its image distorted and twisted but still oddly the same.

"You will be my greatest masterpieces," the man said as he took the card and stood up. "The Nova Cards. You will draw your power from my own, not Sakura's, and I will become the Master of the Clow!"

* * *

AN: So, this is actually the second Card Captor Sakura fanfic I have started writing, but got this idea and thought it would be better for it to be first! So here they are, the Nova Cards!

And before anyone asks; I know there are 52 Clow Cards (53 including the last movie) but there were only 19 in the original manga run! So, taking that original number, but keeping the Hope card that appeared in the last movie leaves me with 20! I could easily do all 53.. but trust me, no one wants a series if all 53 Cards are involved!

Sakura and Syaoran are approximately 25 years or so in this fic. I wanted to make them older than they were in Tsubasa; so I approximated Clow Reed's age

Please take care of me in my newest fic! *bows*


	2. The Nova

"Sakura's been like this for a couple of days," Keroberos said in a worried tone. He and Yue stood on opposite sides of the door that led to Sakura and Syaoran's room, both concerned for the well-being of their master. Sakura lay in the large canopy bed; her fever had only gotten worse. Syaoran sat by her side, silent since the first Star Card had vanished.

Finally, when Sakura seemed to be resting easier, he stood up and walked out of the room, where the Guardians waited.

"How many more Star Cards have vanished?" Syaoran asked, his tone low and dangerous.

"Master Syaoran.. don't worry about that. We need to take care of Sakura and then worry about the Cards!" Keroberos argued.

"How many?" he demanded.

"Two more Li-sama," Yue said, bowing his head. "The Flower, and the Illusion. With them makes three, and the previously vanished Jump."

Syaoran nodded. "I'll have to get them back, I'm sure this is the reason Sakura is sick." Syaoran looked up, facing Yue. He was now nearly as tall as Yue; the angelic Guardian had always seemed to look down on him, but now they faced each other as equals.

Yue bowed his head slightly. "I will do all in my power to help." Keroberos bowed his head as well, agreeing with Yue's statement. Although Syaoran's magic could not match Sakura's, not anymore, he was not powerless. "Though you do not have his appearance; you are very much Clow Reed's descendant," Yue remarked, looking at Syaoran in the clothes of his Clan.

Syaoran turned to look at the door briefly, but suddenly the door vanished, along with the mansion. Yue and Keroberos went to Syaoran's side, as Syaoran took a fighting stance. The place around them changed, they were not standing in Syaoran's mansion, but a forest.

"Well, it seems the pretty magician is not feeling well. I must have come at the perfect time." The man who greeted them had red, untidy hair and stormy eyes, and he smiled at them with a smile that was less than friendly. One hand was tucked inside the pocket in the front of his jeans, the other was folded at the elbow, carrying something strange, yet oddly familiar.

Syaoran gasped. "That's-"

"The Book of Clow," Keroberos finished.

The man chuckled. "Not exactly, though I applaud you. No, this," he raised the book up high so everyone present could see, "Is not the Book of Clow; nor is it Sakura's Book of the Star. This is my own creation. It took me quite a long time, a lifetime, in fact, to complete it. It is the Nova Book. If Clow's book was a book of light, mine is created to counter that light; black magic, so to speak."

The book was black and blue, with a silver clasp on the edge. On the front, where a likeness of Keroberos was supposed to be, was a black monster; a panther of sorts, instead. The words across the top read "The Nova" and a new moon was on the cover where the sun would be on the Clow Book.

"Black Magic? You obviously do not know Clow Reed very well," Yue said, stepping forward. "Everything Clow Reed did was balanced; he created nothing without its equal. As I am the dark aspect of the Moon, there is another, who is the light. Keroberos, who is the light aspect of the sun, also has a counterpart."

"Counterpart, you say?" The man asked, slightly amused. "You are referring to Ruby Moon, and Spinel Sun, are you not?"

The man took pleasure in seeing the three companion's confused and concerned faces. "You have not been paying much attention. I, too, balance the light and dark. But darkness always prevails."

"You talk too much!" Syaoran shouted, running towards the man, but he stopped short when a magic circle appeared beneath him.

"And you rush into things without thinking," the man said. Finally, the hand in his pocket came out, and he opened it. Without a word, the object he held glowed and transformed, creating the dark and twisted staff. "Nova Card!" he shouted, pulling out a black Star Card. Summoning its power, black wings appeared on the man's shoes, and he Jumped high above them.

"It's the Jump! But how can he summon the Star Cards?" Keroberos shouted, his voice growling.

Suddenly, to everyone's surprise, they heard Sakura's voice. "Erase!" she shouted. Though they could not see her, they could sense her. The forest around them dissolved, and Sakura appeared. She turned The Erase on the man, but he jumped before the card could reach him.

"I would very much enjoy staying and continuing our little chat, but I have somewhere I have to be!" Sakura glared up at him, her green eyes full of anger that was so unlike her. In her hand was the Star Wand. The man saluted, then disappeared out of the window.

"Sakura!" Syaoran shouted, running to her. "That was the Illusion, wasn't it?" he asked.

"Yes," Yue replied. "I am concerned. This has never happened before; not when there was a current Master. The only time more than one person could command the Cards is during the capture, when the competitors oppose each other for the power to be called Master. Much like what yourself and Sakura went through. Never has anyone other than the Master of the Cards been able to summon their power."

Keroberos looked up at Yue. "You're quite talkative today," he remarked.

Yue closed his eyes and walked away. "I merely am thinking out loud." When he left, Kero turned to Syaoran. Sakura had not said anything, and looking at her, it was obvious why. Her face was still pale, and she was covered in sweat. Suddenly, she swayed on her feet. Syaoran caught her.

"Sakura!" She had already passed out, and the Erase returned to its card form, floating down beside her. "Using just one card did that much damage to her?

"She was already weak, and obviously this man's Cards are the real deal. It also bothers me that he knew of Ruby Moon and Spinel Sun. They live with Eriol, in England." Syaoran nodded, his brows furrowed. Unlike Yue, he was obviously not in a talkative mood.

"We need to find out who he is, and how he is doing this. Sakura's power is being drained, and he must be the one behind it."

* * *

AN: Alright, second chapter. I'm on a roll with this one! I've got some ideas for the story, so I'm looking forward to finishing it! As usual, shooting for 16 chapters!  
Also, please excuse the lame name for the dark cards. "Dark Cards" just seemed bad, and I could not think of anything else. "Nova" seemed interesting, but not what I was looking for. In the long run, I stuck with Nova!


	3. Seventeen

Syaoran carried Sakura into their room, and placed her gently and lovingly on the bed. She had been changed from her pale pink gown into silky pajamas, also pink. The Star Wand had returned to being the Key of the Star, something that had not happened for several years. When Sakura's power as a magician had grown to the extent that Clow Reed's had once been, the Wand had never reverted back to its original form. It only made Syaoran worry more as he carefully placed the Key of the Star on the table next to the bed.

He opened the drawer on the table, revealing the Book of the Star. He smiled, remembering the day the Book had been transformed, along with the Clow Wand and the first of the Clow Cards. Sakura was truly the Master, and everything had been transformed. Carefully, Syaoran lifted the book out of the drawer and opened it. The Cards, which once would have tried to escape, now lay dormant and content inside their Book.

Three Cards were missing; leaving seventeen in the book. "At least the Elements have not been stolen," came a very soft voice beside him, causing him to drop the book.

"Sakura!" he said, turning towards her. She was sitting up now, laying against some pillows, smiling.

"I'm feeling much better, Syaoran," she said, though it was obvious she was still incredibly tired. Syaoran moved to sit on the edge of the bed.

"Can you sense the missing Cards? At all?

Sakura shook her head sadly. "It is as if they've vanished completely; like they've been destroyed. Was that man.. was he really using my Star Cards?" Sakura asked.

Syaoran nodded. "It seemed so. The Illusion and The Jump, and they were two cards that are missing. He obviously was using some sort of power."

"I don't know what to do, Syaoran," Sakura continued. "Capturing the Cards once was difficult.. but recapturing them from another sorcerer, someone who is obviously powerful enough to control them as I am."

Syaoran looked at his wife and smiled. He always found it difficult to express his feelings, especially those concerning love. It was the same even after they were married, but he loved her, and Sakura knew it. "We'll find them."

A silence followed the statement, and it was silent for several moments.

"My, am I interrupting something?" came a voice, followed by a loud giggle. Sakura and Syaoran looked up, and Sakura smiled. "Syaoran, you look wonderful in your costume! It reminds me of the one you used to wear!

Syaoran crossed his arms and looked away. "It is _not_ a costume!" he said in defiance. "It's my family's traditional clothing!"

"Tomoyo!" Sakura exclaimed, ignoring Syaoran's pride, and overjoyed to see her friend. Tomoyo was carrying a bouquet of flowers, and she smiled back at Sakura. "The pictures you took of the wedding were beautiful, Tomoyo, and the video was so well done!"

Once more Tomoyo giggled. "I hoped you would like them!"

"Guess that's what happens when you get a world famous photographer," Syaoran put in, standing up and greeting Tomoyo. He took the flowers from her and took them to the window, where a now empty vase sat. Sakura usually used The Flower to create the decorations around the mansion, but when the Card vanished, so did all the flowers.

Tomoyo shrugged, "Well, I obviously could not do the filming or photography while the ceremony was going on. I would not have dreamed of giving up the place of Maid of Honor! But I definitely did the editing later on," she said with a smile.

Tomoyo walked over to the bed, giving her best friend a loving hug. "How are you feeling, Sakura?" she asked.

Sakura smiled. "I'm feeling much better, truly. Just.. sad. With each card that disappears, it feels like a part of my magic, and a part of my soul, disappears too. The Cards are the source of my magic just as much as I am the source of their power."

"So, does this mean you'll be doing some card capturing again?" Tomoyo asked, not bothering to hid her excitement as she pulled out a new video camera. "I'll bet you're even more gorgeous now performing your magic! I just couldn't pass this opportunity up!"

Sakura laughed a little, putting her hand over her lips as she did. "Oh, Tomoyo. You never do change, do you?" Syaoran chuckled a little too, but quickly quieted. He was still too serious for Tomoyo's taste, but he was still a dear friend.

"So," Tomoyo said, taking Syaoran's previous place, sitting comfortably on the large bed, "seriously, what's going to happen? Tell me everything."

Syaoran and Sakura looked at each other, and then Sakura spoke: "Another magician.. of Clow Reed's calibur, no doubt, has been stealing and transforming the Star Cards. He has the power to use them, as I do."

"We don't know who he is, or why he's doing this," Syaoran continued. "We only know he is, and we have to stop him."

Tomoyo looked back at Sakura. "Have you contacted Eriol? Perhaps he will know what to do."

Sakura seemed to brighten instantly. "What a great idea, Tomoyo! Eriol will know what to do, I'm sure of it!" Sakura nearly jumped out of bed, making Syaoran's jaw drop.

"Sa-Sakura!" he stuttered, reaching his hands out, but she was already out of the bed. Just as she reached the phone, and went to pick it up, it rang. Her hand stopped just an inch from the receiver, and her eyes were wide. Syaoran looked up, his expression serious.

"Go ahead, answer it," he said. Sakura nodded and picked up the phone.

"Hello?" she asked timidly.

"Sakura," came a voice over the other end.

"Eriol!" Sakura gasped. "I was just about to call you! Something awful's happened!"

"I know. Something's happening here as well."

* * *

AN: So, third chapter done! Just to let you guys know, Syaoran, Sakura, and Tomoyo's approximate ages now are mid 20's... I'd guess about 25? 26? Which would also put Eriol at the same age, chronologically. I assume he would age the same as they would.

But what's happening with Eriol, all the way in England??


	4. Confrontation

Sakura gasped, causing both Syaoran and Tomoyo to come over. "Wh-what?" It was about this time that Yue and Keroberos appeared at the door. Kero had transformed into his smaller form, but Yue stayed in his true form. It seemed Yukito appeared less and less, but the last time Sakura had spoke with him, he said he did not mind.

Sakura's attention was turned back to the phone. "What did you say, Eriol?"

"Ruby Moon and Spinel Sun. They are acting strange. Irritable, more so than usual. It's odd."

"I see..." Sakura said.

"Sakura. I don't need to remind you what happens if the Star Cards end up released, or in the wrong hands. Apparently someone is indeed alive who can manipulate my magic, and yours. You need to find him and stop him. Before-"

"Before what?" the young woman asked, but she was met with a broken line. "Eriol? Eriol!" When there was no answer, she slowly hung up the phone, before turning to Syaoran. "I think something's happened to Eriol. But I know that whatever is happening here, in Hong Kong, is happening at Eriol's place in England."

"This man must be very powerful."

It was then that Sakura took notice of Kero for the first time since the Guardians had come. "Kero-chan? Why are you in that form?"

Kero flew over and rested on Sakura's shoulder, sighing. "To tell you the truth, I'm finding it difficult to stay in that form all the time. I think it has something to do with the Cards.. Before you had captured them all, I could not access my true form. I could not stay in it permanently or switch back and forth willingly until after all the Clow Cards had been transformed. Now that they're being stolen.. it's like my magic is being stolen too!"

There was a bit of silence, and then Kero rolled over on his back, swinging his arms and legs in the air. "Aw man this is such a pain I want to be back in my body!" Sakura turned to look at Yue.

"Yue.. you too?" Her only answer was a soft nod.

"But I can keep my form easier than Keroberos."

Sakura looked down. "I need to find this man, and find out why he's doing this!" However, it did not appear that she would have accomplished anything, for almost as soon as she said that, she swayed. This time, Tomoyo braced her. "Thanks, Tomoyo," Sakura said.

"You need more rest, Sakura," Syaoran said as he helped Tomoyo lead her to the bed. Sakura gave no objections as she climbed in, Kero flying in to lay beside her head.

* * *

The red-haired man sat at a table, his head resting on his folded hands. His long, dark hair was, as usual, pulled into a loose ponytail, and draped over his shoulder. Beside him lay the Nova Book, as well as the Staff of the Moon. The silver crescent blade that held the black, upside down star seemed as menacing as its master. The man stared into a bowl filled with clear water, and he smiled as he saw the image of Sakura fall asleep.

"Yes, my friend. The one person who probably could have helped you is no longer reachable. I hope you do not mind."

He waved a hand over the bowl, and the image changed. The Book of the Star came into view. Grinning, the man pointed to the clasp, which suddenly opened, and the book revealed the remaining Star Cards. With a laugh, he said, "This is too easy!" He slowly lowered his hand into the bowl, as if reaching for the cards. He almost reached the top card, The Firey, when the spell was interrupted.

Suddenly, the Firey seemed to be released, and the nymph swirled around his hand, burning him, and forcing him to pull back with a cry. Then, it sank back into the bowl and the book, and Yue's face appeared, his cold eyes glaring at him before the image went blank.

"M-Master Darian?" came a voice behind him

"What is it?" Darian demanded, turning around and holding his burnt hand.

The servant shrank back. "I-I apologize for disturbing you.. but.." The woman seemed more afraid of the silhouette behind her than of her master. Darian narrowed his eyes, but then he grinned.

"Welcome to my mansion, O Great Master," he said, with a lavish bow and mocking words.

The person behind the woman gently pushed her to the side, stepping in front of her. He was incredibly tall, with short hair and round glasses. The look on his face would have made normal people, such as the woman behind him, cower in fear. Eriol stepped forward again, his staff appearing instantaneously.

"I am quite surprised you could find me, especially in that amount of time since the phone line was disconnected, but they did not call you the most powerful magician for a reason," Darian said with a shrug as he picked up his own staff.

"Crossing dimensions is easy enough," Eriol said in a low tone.

Darian laughed. "So it is. But you cannot kill me; you are no longer the most powerful sorcerer, remember? That darling girl took half your magic away, so now you are as useless as that brat with the sword!"

It was Eriol's turn to laugh. "Useless? Me? Syaoran either. Do not underestimate any of us, Darian Li."

Darian sneered at that. "You've done your homework. But Li is not my name; perhaps one day, or perhaps I should instead take the name Reed! I am Darian Hale, until that day comes."

"But that day won't come," Eriol threatened, and the circle appeared beneath him as he prepared. At the same moment, a black circle appeared beneath Darian, a warped and twisted version of Eriol's. Then, two more figures appeared behind Eriol; a woman with wings, and a large winged beast.

Darian smirked. "It will come sooner than you think, Reed."

* * *

AN: Alright, chapter four done! I hope you're enjoying it so far! I know I am!


	5. Card Captor

"So, you haven't spoken to Eriol since?" Tomoyo asked a few days later. She was visiting Hong Kong for a job, so she was able to come by soon after her initial visit.

Sakura shook her head. "And three more Cards have disappeared. Yue can't figure out how it's happening. He was able to stop him once before, but it's getting harder."

"You seem to be doing better, though," Tomoyo said encouragingly. Sakura smiled at her friend.

"Thanks, Tomoyo. I am a little better." Sakura sighed, holding the Star Wand tightly in her hand as she stood up from the great armchair. She seemed to make up her mind about something, for she looked at Tomoyo with a determination her friend had not seen since she took Eriol's final test. "We're going to find him!"

"That's the spirit, Sakura!" Tomoyo said, and dug around inside her tote bag for something. "And I have just the battle costume for you!"

"Oh Tomoyo..." Sakura said, laughing nervously.

"Look, I haven't gotten to make you a new battle costume in years! I've been working so hard on this one!" Tomoyo produced a sketch book from her bag, and flipped through the pages. "Ah hah! Here it is!" She smiled and showed the page to Sakura, who blushed a bit, stepping back.

"Y-You can't be serious! You want me to wear that, Tomoyo?" She looked up at her friend, but was met with Tomoyo's famous pout, which she used whenever she wanted something. Sakura sighed, admitting defeat, causing Tomoyo to jump.

"Yes! Oh thank you, Sakura! You won't be sorry!" Tomoyo gave her friend a hug and rushed out of the room. Sakura scratched her head. This definitely took her back to her elementary school years. At that moment, Syaoran walked in, smiling as Sakura sat back down in Clow Reed's armchair.

"I'm not sure if I should be happy or angry that you're not rushing into this."

Sakura laughed. "I'm not like you, Syaoran. Besides, Tomoyo would kill me if I didn't wear her new battle costume.. And Yue's right. The easiest way to find this guy is to wait til he tries to steal more Cards. Kero's the Guardian Beast, he's been guarding the Star Cards since the last ones went missing," Sakura looked down. "I'm not a very good Master; letting the Cards get stolen so easily."

Syaoran sighed and walked towards her, causing her to look up. "Clow Reed chose you for a reason, Sakura. You were the only one who passed the Final Judgment, and the only one who was able to convert the Cards."

"Not anymore! There's someone else.. someone just as powerful or more so than I am! How else would you explain how he can so easily bypass my own magic and take the cards for his own! He's even been able to transform them himself, you saw that!"

Syaoran pulled Sakura close, silencing her hysterical argument. "Stop saying that!" he almost shouted, putting a hand on the back of her head. "Clow Reed chose you! No one else! I don't know who this guy is, or how he's doing this, but you'll win!" He pulled back, his face determined as he put his hands on Sakura's shoulders. "You always win."

Sakura nodded, and smiled. Syaoran placed a hand on her head, smoothing her hair back before letting go and turning around. Sakura watched him go, her eyes filled with love. He had grown; they all had grown, there was no denying that. Syaoran had barely made it to the door, however, when a strong gust of wind picked up outside, and blew the grand window open. Sakura gasped as the wind nearly knocked her down, and shut the door Syaoran was starting to walk through.

"What is that?" Syaoran shouted over the noise of the gust. He tried to open the door, but it was latched, and unable to open it.

Sakura reached for her wand. "Thunder!" She shouted, summoning the Star Card with her wand. Nearly as soon as the Thunder materialized, so did the Windy. "It really is Windy!" Sakura shouted, though there was no need as the wind died down. The Thunder, taking on its animal form, snarled and growled at the sprite who took the physical form of wind.

"But why? Why would the Windy materialize without your command?" Syaoran responded. Behind him, something began pounding on the door.

"Sakura! Syaoran!"

"Keroberos!" Syaoran answered, running to the door. He tried to open it, but it still would not budge. "It won't open!"

"Stand back," came Yue's always calm voice. Syaoran barely had time to react as the door was blown apart by one of Yue's arrows.

"W-Watch it, Yue!" Keroberos reprimanded as the two came in.

All the while, both the Thunder and the Windy seemed to face off; neither one moving, neither one daring to attack. Yue flew towards the Windy, summoning his bow once more. "Windy, I command you to cease this at once!" Yue's eyes began to glow, as did the Windy, who stared at him.

"Windy! Return to your power confined!" Sakura shouted, in the process of pointing the Star Wand towards the Card. It appeared for a moment that Windy would indeed be subdued, but events had not been going well for Sakura or her companions, and true to this chain of events, another Card appeared. Keroberos spun around and shouted.

"Sakura! The Firey!"

"What?" She gasped, twirling to meet it. Furrowing her brow, she summoned her next card. "Watery! Come to my aid!" At once the third elemental appeared, swirling around Sakura and facing off against the Firey.

"Why are you doing this?" Sakura pleaded with the two cards, but it had no effect.

"I believe I can answer that," came a familiar voice. Darian jumped through the window, the black Book and Staff in his hands as he gracefully rolled into the floor, his red ponytail falling over his shoulder. "They answer to me now, Sakura Li."

"You!" Syaoran snarled, immediately drawing his sword, which he had begun carrying again since this incident began.

"Yes, me," the man said. "I believe I have yet to formally introduce myself to you. How rude of me. I," he said with a bow, "am Darian Hale. Soon to be known as Darian Reed."

"Thunder!" Sakura shouted, not giving him anymore time to talk. The Thunder immediately leapt towards Darian, but the Windy blocked its path. The two cards battled fiercely, but the Thunder eventually pinned the Windy.

"Clever choice, Sakura," Darian said. "Thunder is immune to Windy, and more powerful." Darian raised his staff. "Windy!" he commanded, and the form of a card appeared above the crescent moon. It began to glow, and the Windy swirled around, entering the card.

"He's Capturing it!" Keroberos said, but Sakura did not have time to react. When the magic was done, a black card floated into Darian's hand.

"Now, it's time to hand over the Firey."

Sakura slid into a fighting stance, similar to Syaoran's. The Watery swirled around Sakura still, protecting her, and the Thunder was sealed back. The Firey swirled around the room, surrounding all present. Sakura lifted her staff again. "Firey! Return to your power confined!" she shouted, putting all her strength into it. The Firey ceased movement for a moment, and the Watery pounced, attacking with vigor. Like Thunder versus Windy, the battle was quickly over and Firey was weakened.

Darian smirked. "Firey!" he shouted, at the same time Sakura did. The Firey rose up into the air, but the rage was too much to contain. The imp swirled around, heading towards Sakura, then towards Darian.

* * *

AN: Yay, a tense battle! What's happening with Windy and Firey!? Keep checking up, the next chapter will be here soon!


	6. Capture!

Keroberos' eyes widened. "It's confused! Quickly, Sakura! You are its true Master!"

"I know, but..." Sakura began to falter. _The Windy chose him... I was its true Master, and I failed to bring her back!_ That moment of weakness sealed the fate; the card began to materialize above Darian's staff once more, and the Firey was captured.

"Ah, two Elementals. Not bad for the day," Darian said as Sakura fell to her knees. The Watery returned to its Card form and fell to Sakura. "It won't be long.. Soon I will have them all."

The two new Nova Cards slipped into the Book Darian carried with him. He then summoned the Jump card, and the black wings appeared on the heels of his shoes. Saluting them once more, he flipped backwards out of the window and disappeared. Syaoran ran to the window, clenching his teeth as he watched Darian jump away with ease. He slammed his fist onto the window sill, before turning to Sakura.

"What happened? You let him get away! With Windy, and Firey no less!" he demanded, but Sakura only sat there. She looked up at him, her eyes half open and her eyebrows forming an upside down 'v' above them. Syaoran immediately stopped, realizing what he had said. "Sakura, I-"

Sakura looked away, and Keroberos came to her side, transforming back into his false form. Yue stood there, staring out the window, as if the scene in front of him were not actually happening. Kero placed a paw on Sakura's shoulder. "It's alright, Sakura. Something will work out, I'm sure of it!"

Syaoran looked away as well, feeling ashamed of himself. Without anything else to say, unable to muster an apology, he walked out of the room.

* * *

It was not far from the Li Mansion that Darian was forced to stop. He was very much weakened, and if he did not stop, he would have fallen from very high when the Jump ceased to manifest. He landed with a soft thud, turning it into a roll when he hit the grass. The Li Mansion was near a small forest, making hiding both easy and difficult at the same time.

Darian grabbed a low tree branch and forced himself to stand, breathing heavily with the effort. He was exhausted; that battle took a lot of his energy. Despite his fatigue, he smiled, and looked at his Book of the Nova. "I have them.. two of the most loyal cards at my disposal.." The words were said between breaths, and Darian slid back down the trunk of the tree, unconscious.

* * *

Sakura was back in bed shortly after the battle. Yue had carried her there, and Kero lay beside her while she slept. Yue continued to stand guard over the Book of the Star, and the remaining Cards, as well as their Master and Guardian. The moon had risen, but it was only half full. Syaoran had not come to bed, instead he stayed elsewhere, training. It had been a long time since he had fought, and though he continued to practice martial arts, he needed something to take his mind off of the recent events.

Tomoyo also stayed nearby. She told Kero that she did not have to return to her job for a few days.

"I want to help Sakura," she said to him. "I'm worried about her, and the Cards. I'll help out around here as best I can!"

"Thank you very much, Tomoyo," Keroberos returned.

Yue turned to look at Sakura as she slept. His eyes were narrowed. _Why didn't the Windy obey me? Or Sakura? The Windy is under the power of the moon.. I should be able to command it. Keroberos had no power over the Firey either. Yet neither Thunder nor Watery seemed to have a problem obeying Sakura's command._

The Guardian put a hand to his head. "What's wrong..? I feel.. dizzy all of a sudden.." Yue began to fall backwards, and in a flurry of feathers, disappeared, revealing his false form, Yukito. The magic circle appeared beneath Yukito and lowered him gently to the ground, where he slept soundly.

* * *

Darian opened his eyes in alarm, and sat up from his lying position. He put a hand to his head and groaned.

"I wouldn't sit up so fast, young man," and elderly voice said. Darian looked up to see an old traveler smiling down at him.

"Who are you?" Darian demanded of the man.

"No one.. Just a traveler. I enjoy walks through the forest, and happened upon you. It was getting late so I brought you here for the night. Oh," the man turned around. "A young girl about your age came looking for you. Real pretty; long brown hair."

Darian smirked. "Nakuru," he said. "She is here?"

The old man nodded. "Yep. Doesn't seem to sleep, that one. I'll send her in."

"Thank you. For your hospitality as well," Darian said as he stood up. "But I believe we'll be going. Tell me, I had a book, and a key with me. Do you have them?

"Hmm? Ah yes.. The book and key, they're on the dresser," he pointed to them. "Quite an odd pair you have. Are you a collector?"

Darian walked to retrieve his items, and smiled. "Of sorts," he answered. The old man raised an eyebrow, but shrugged it off, beckoning Darian into the main room.

"If you're feeling well enough." As they entered the living room, the young woman turned around, and when she saw Darian, her eyes brightened and she smiled.

"Darian!" she said, flinging her arms around him, to which he cleared his throat in response. Nakuru released him and backed away, crossing her arms. "I come all this way to retrieve you and this is how you repay me? Fine!" Darian rolled his eyes, then turned the old man.

Bowing, he said, "Thank you once again for your hospitality. If you'll excuse us, we'll be on our way." With that, Darian turned and left the house, Nakuru skipping after him.

The old man shrugged, "Young folk these days," he muttered, then returned to his quiet life.

"Come on, Darian! Don't be that way!" Nakuru said as they walked through the forest.

"Be quiet!" Darian commanded, to which Nakuru immediately silenced.

"How long are we gonna be here, huh?" she asked after she stayed as quiet as she could, which was about three minutes. Darian finally stopped.

"We'd be out of here a lot faster if you'd help, Nakuru." Nakuru shrugged, then smiled, power gathering around her. Her shadow began to morph and warp, as her body changed. Darian smirked again.

* * *

AN: The end of the two-part battle! I divided the battle up for two reasons: One, because my previous chapter seemed incredibly long compared to all the others, and two, because I thought it would leave you with a wonderful cliff hanger at the end!

XD Hope you enjoyed! Thank you so much for reading!


	7. Family

"Yukito..."

Yukito's eyes fluttered, but did not open.

"Yukito!"

Slowly, Yukito opened his eyes. Everything around him was blurry, then someone handed him his glasses. "Where.. where am I?" he asked. He looked around, his gaze falling across someone who was very familiar, yet very much changed. He smiled and sat up. "Hello Sakura. Long time, no see."

Sakura appeared incredibly worried about him. It had been a long time since Yukito had appeared. Yue stayed in his true form more often than not. Yukito, because of this peculiar magic, had not aged at all it seemed, so Sakura appeared as old, or older, than Yukito. Yukito blinked. "What's wrong, Sakura?"

"N-Nothing.." Then she hugged him tightly. "It's been such a long time!"

Yukito was slightly taken aback, but he smiled and patted her on the back. "It has. Yue has been treating you well, I imagine? You've certainly grown."

Sakura pulled back, smiling and nodding. "You haven't changed a bit.."

Kero flew up in the air from the bed, rubbing his eyes. "What's all the commotion around here?" he asked, then he saw Yukito. "Oh no! Yukito!" he said as he flew down. "What's happened?"

"That's no way to talk to Yukito, Kero-chan!" Sakura reprimanded.

"It's quite alright, Sakura. Been a while, Kero."

Kero landed on Sakura's shoulders, his arms crossed. "This isn't good. Yue hardly ever returned to his false form; if he did at a time like this, it means Yue's magic is running out." Kero flew off of Sakura's shoulder and covered himself in his wings, transforming into his true form. "Mine seems to still be alright; but how often I can transform depends on the Star Cards as well. Since two of the Elementals have been taken, my magic won't last."

Yukito stood up, with some help from Sakura, and his eyes widened when he noticed the difference in height. Yukito, who had virtually been dormant for several years, still appeared to be nineteen, perhaps a little older. Sakura was in her twenties, and nearly as tall as he was. Yukito blinked, then smiled. "You certainly have grown," he remarked, drawing a slight blush from Sakura.

"Come on, we have to find Syaoran! He'll want to know about this.. he might be able to figure this out!" Sakura took Yukito by the wrist and pulled him out of the room and into the hall. Sakura looked both ways, wondering where Syaoran might be. Then she remembered what he had said the day before, and she paused.

"What's wrong, Sakura?" Yukito asked.

"It's.." Sakura paused for a moment, then turned around, smiling, "It's nothing!" Though Yukito looked doubtful, he said nothing, only smiled. When they found Syaoran, he was in the basement, training. Though he paused for a brief moment when they walked in, he did not look at them, nor did acknowledge their presence.

"Syaoran.." Sakura began, softly. Syaoran paused, but still did not look at her. Growling, as well as he could in his small form, Kero flew over to him and hit him on the head.

"Get over it, kid!" he said at the same time Syaoran spun around, demanding to know why he did that. Then he saw Yukito standing behind Sakura, smiling.

"Yukito!" he gasped. "Wh-What happened? Where's Yue?"

Sakura looked down. "There's been.. a problem."

"I can see that." Syaoran moved to walk near them, though he did not say much.

"Good to see you again, Syaoran," Yukito said. Syaoran nodded, his face stern. Yukito turned back to Sakura. "Sakura, I believe I can transform back. Yue seems to be getting restless. Would you like me to?"

Sakura looked at Syaoran, who only nodded. Then she looked back at Yukito and nodded slowly. "Yue.. would probably know what to do. It may be for the best, because of what's been going on." Yukito smiled down at her in a way to show he understood. He closed his eyes and wings engulfed him. When they opened, Yue appeared, opening his eyes slowly.

Although Sakura breathed a sigh of relief, she could not help but feel saddened. All his life Yukito had been his own person, and although he had always been the host for Yue, he had lived his own life, until the Clow Cards came along. _I promise, Yukito.. I will find a way to separate you two._ Clow Reed had never mentioned a way to separate Yue from his host, so she had assumed it either could not be done, or would not be done.

"Sakura," Yue began, but he stopped. Putting a hand to his head, he dropped to his knees. Sakura was quick to kneel beside him.

"Yue! Yue are you alright!"

"I cannot retain this form much longer... The magic Toya gave to me has faded. Without the cards I cannot stay in this form all the time, I must rest. The link between Yukito and I is strong now, however. He can see through my eyes as I can see through his."

"So, Yukito knows what's happening now?"

Yue nodded. "And I will know what's happening, even when I'm resting." Yue grunted as he stood up. "We need to find and recapture the Star Cards.. Whoever is taking the Cards is draining your magic as well.."

"I know! I know, I'm trying, I'm..." Sakura broke off. Yue closed his eyes, and without any more warning, Yukito appeared. Syaoran caught him as he fell, and gently lowered him to the ground. Yukito was unconscious once more.

"This is getting worse," Kero said. "When you captured the four Element Cards all those years ago, that allowed me to transform into my true form. With two of the Elements gone, I can no longer stay in that form all the time either."

"You can still use some of your powers, though, right?" Syaoran asked. Kero crossed his arms and shook his head.

"The Firey gave me most of my power, the stuff I could do in either form. And, the Firey's gone."

Sakura sighed. "We've gotta get Yukito to a bed," she said. "Yue didn't sleep, but Yukito does." The others agreed and Kero transformed, just long enough to get Yukito to one of the many rooms in the Li mansion. When they arrived, and Yukito was in bed, Keroberos returned to his borrowed form.

"This is definitely not good, Sakura," he said, floating beside her head.

"Hm?" Back in a smaller, simpler home, a young man sat at a desk, writing. "Sakura?" he asked the quiet. Toya turned around, his eyes narrowed. "Why..?" Toya looked at his hand, then stood up, sighing. It had been nearly twelve years since he had been able to sense danger around his sister; he had given up that ability to help Yukito, or at least, the person Yukito transformed into.

"Has something..happened?" he asked the silence as he stood at the window. It was raining hard in Tomoeda; Toya wondered how it was in Hong Kong. Sakura had moved there, along with Syaoran, a few years earlier. Toya had not changed much; he did not seem very old despite being twenty-nine.

Toya looked up at the night sky. "Yukito.." He placed his hands in his pocket. If he could sense Sakura, even from so far away, something must have happened to the person who Yukito gave his body to. Then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw something. Toya turned quickly, his eyes narrowing again, but when he saw what it was, he gasped.

"Mother.." Nadeshiko looked worried, and behind her stood another form, who Toya did not recognize, but somehow knew who he was, not by name, but by his importance to Sakura.

AN: Alright, so now we have two things that Sakura has to do before the end of the story, but will it happen? Will she succeed in both, or will she have to make a sacrifice? And now that Toya's power has returned to him, what part will he play, and how will it affect Yue and Yukito?

Thanks again for reading! I hope I am being consistent with keeping in-character!


	8. Reunions

"Hello, Toya," Nadeshiko said softly. Toya did not say anything, but he looked at her with a kind of suspicion. Or, it would be better to say that he was looking at the man behind her with a kind of suspicion. The man smiled and held up his hand.

"Please do not look that way at me, Toya," he said with a calming voice. "I am here out of mutual concern for Sakura."

At this, Toya's eyes widened. "Has something happened?" he demanded.

"In a way, yes.." Clow Reed looked solemn. "You do not know much, I know, and this will be hard for you to understand."

"All I need to know, or care to know, is if my sister is in trouble. She is, isn't she?"

Nadeshiko nodded slowly. "The reason you can see us is because the magic given to Yukito has returned to you. Magic is being stolen from Sakura and her guardians, but your power was only transferred."

Clow Reed continued. "Your power was not originally from myself or Sakura, so therefore, it could not be stolen."

"I don't care about the details Old Man," he said. "Just tell me where Sakura is."

* * *

"We need to plan our next move," Syaoran said. He stood next to the large, high-backed armchair that Sakura sat in, while Tomoyo stood across from him, and Yukito and Kero stood in front of Sakura. Yukito seemed completely out of place amongst them, though he himself did not notice this difference. He merely stood there, smiling, as he always did.

Sakura groaned. "If I could only find him! I don't know how to track him down; the Cards he stole have completely disappeared from my senses!"

"Their power hasn't disappeared, though," Yukito said with surprising wisdom. "You just simply need to locate the magic they now possess, right?"

Kero shook his head. "It's not that simple. At least, it shouldn't be. The Cards are not released, they have been sealed, just by a different person. Once a Card is sealed, it can't easily be traced."

"If only Eriol was here to help," Sakura said. "I'm sure he would come up with something!"

"But we don't know where he is, or what happened to him." Tomoyo looked out the window. "We don't know if he's alright." Syaoran clenched his fist and sliced the air.

"We don't need Eriol! We don't need anyone but Sakura! She is the Master of the Cards, not Eriol!" Syaoran turned to his wife. "You need to realize this, Sakura! For the sake of the Star Cards, you need to step up and become the Master you are supposed to be!"

Sakura looked at him, then smiled. "Thank you, Syaoran. You're right."

"Jump, Illusion, Flower, Windy, and Firey," Kero said, naming them. "Those are the cards that this Darian Hale has stolen. He has gotten two of the Elements, but has yet to take control of Light and Dark. That, at least, is a good sign."

Suddenly there was a knocking at the door, timid at first, but slightly frantic. Syaoran walked over and opened the door, revealing one of the members of the mansion's staff. "What is it?" he demanded.

"I, uh, I'm very sorry to bother you, Syaoran-sama," she said.

"Get to the point."

"Well, er, you see.."

"SAKURA!" came a shout behind her, making the woman who knocked on the door sigh.

"I told him to wait downstairs, but he won't listen, sir." She was cut off, however, when she was shoved aside, revealing Toya. He stared at Syaoran. It was the first time they had seen each other since the wedding, and needless to say, there was not much love between them.

"Brat, where's my sister?" Toya demanded. Syaoran glared at him coolly before he responded.

"I would watch what you say, Kinomoto," Syaoran said. It seemed to be lightning sparked between the two of them until Sakura intervened, placing her hand through Syaoran's arm and coming up behind him.

When she saw Toya, she blinked a few times, and then smiled. "Toya!" she shouted, throwing her arms around his neck. "I've missed you! How are you?"

Toya returned her embrace briefly before pushing her away gently. "What about you?" he asked, staring at her. Sakura returned his gaze, then looked away. "I knew it! Something is wrong!" Pushing past Sakura he reached for Syaoran, grabbing him by the collar. "What have you been doing? Slacking in your job? I gave up my powers believing my sister would be taken care of, and now all of a sudden I can sense things again!"

Syaoran slapped his brother-in-law's hand away. "It's nothing I have done. Someone else is behind this. You really think I would hurt Sakura like that?" he demanded.

"Okay, calm down you two," Yukito said with a nervous laugh, causing Toya to drop Syaoran and turn, eyes wide, to his old friend. Toya was much, much older, but Yukito seemed as if he had not changed a bit. He smiled. "It's good to see you again, Toya."

"Yukito.. you're back.. I mean, what happened?" Toya asked, approaching his friend.

"That's what we're trying to figure out, actually."

It was Kero's turn to speak up, and he flew up to land on Sakura's shoulder. "Alright, alright! We can't just stand around and talk all the time! We've gotta do something!"

Toya looked at Kero. "So you are alive," he said. This was, incidentally, the first time Toya had actually witnessed the little creature move and speak, though he had always suspected. The man grabbed Kero with one hand, bringing him to his face, ignoring Kero's struggles. "You little sneak.. you're the one who was always stealing food from the kitchen when everyone was gone. I knew there was something fishy about you."

"Yea, whatcha gonna do about it now?" Kero asked, crossing his arms and looking triumphant. Unfortunately, Toya grabbed the scruff of his neck and his legs in two different hands and began pulling playfully.

"What are _you_ going to do about it, you little stuffed animal?" he asked with a grin.

Tired of being handled, Kero sank his teeth into Toya's hand, causing him to drop the Guardian to the floor. "HA!" Kero said as Sakura picked him up.

"Kero-chan, please don't pick fights," she said sternly.

"He started it!" Though Toya was now standing, cleaning one ear out and taking no interest in what was being said.

"Whatever, now that I'm here," Toya said. "I don't know what I can do, but I'm sure I can help."

"Sakura, why don't you ask the Cards?" Tomoyo said, tired of being left out. "Ask them if they can sense the others. And maybe we can find Darian."

"It might work," Kero said. "It's worth a shot, anyways."

* * *

A/N: Alright, so the new charger for my laptop came today, enabling me to upload and write once again! So, I thought for those of you enjoying this story, I would give you a treat! Here ya go!


	9. Crossing Dimensions

Sakura had taken Tomoyo's advice. Sitting in the middle of the large front room; the one that had been decorated as a mix of Clow Reed's style and Sakura's own personal taste, Sakura had spread the Cards out in a semi circle around her. No one bothered her while she did this, though both Kero and Yukito were present. They thought perhaps what little magic they had left might help Sakura.

In the middle were the Light and the Dark, always together. Sakura concentrated hardest on these, as well as the two remaining Element cards. _Please_, she thought, _help me find the other Cards. Let my magic be strong enough to detect that which is no longer connected to me._

Sakura seemed to enter a meditative state, and so, in her mind, she stood up, surrounded by darkness, though she could see herself. Much like the time when she had first captured the Dark and the Light cards. Surrounding her were thirteen small specks of light, gradually growing larger and in more distinct shapes. Soon each of the thirteen, not the Light and Dark, Star Card spirits surrounded Sakura.

"You guys..." she said. "Please, help me." In response the spirits began moving all around, some disappearing into the darkness, some continuing to swirl around Sakura. The Mirror appeared before Sakura, and her twin stepped out, smiling.

"It's good to see you again, Mirror," Sakura said.

"You know you always have our help. You're our Master," the Mirror returned. Then she turned. "I will stay here, so you will have a place to return to."

The Star Wand had transformed into the Sword, and Sakura walked forward into the darkness.

* * *

"Do you think she'll be alright?" Yukito asked when Sakura's breathing became slow and steady. She was not answering to their words, and did not seem to be aware of their presence.

"She'll be fine.. Let's just be patient. If she needs us, we'll be there. I think we have enough magic left to at least do that." Yukito looked at Kero, then back at Sakura and sighed. It did not ease his worry, even though Kero reassured him.

Outside of the room, Syaoran, Toya, and Tomoyo stood, silent, wondering. "Hey, brat," Toya asked, though Syaoran just stood there against the wall, his eyes closed and arms folded, "what's Sakura doing in there that we can't be part of?"

"She's using the Star Cards to find the Nova Cards. We don't know what will happen, Kero wanted us to stay out, so we're staying out."

Toya closed his eyes and leaned back. "Fine then. But if anything happens, that little stuffed animal's gonna get it."

"I'm sure everything will be fine," Tomoyo said, looking down, and smiling slightly. "It's Sakura we're talking about, and Kero and Yue are with her."

"Yukito's with her, not Yue," Toya pointed out, something that Syaoran actually agreed with.

Tomoyo smiled again. "But still.. she'll be fine."

* * *

Sakura continued to walk around in the darkness, though the small fairy that was the Glow continued to float along side her, shedding a bit more light around in the area. Sakura had sent the Fly's avatar out first, because it was the fastest of the remaining Cards, but it had not come back. It seemed as if it was gone forever, but Sakura had no notion of time in this place. Suddenly, the darkness was dispelled, and light flooded the area.

"What's happening?" Sakura asked. The voice of the Light card answered her. _You no longer need this darkness. You walk in the light now, Sakura. To find magic, you can locate its bright glow in the dark. But Darian's dark magic can only be found in the light._ "I see," Sakura said, looking around. There was still nothing around her; but rather than darker than black, it was brilliant white. She could still see most of her Cards. Behind her, her shadow was long, and so the Shadow followed closely to its Master.

"Where do I begin?"

_Just concentrate,_ came the two voices together. Sakura nodded and closed her eyes. When she opened them, none of the Star Cards were with her, though her staff was still in the shape of the Sword. Sakura gasped.

"I can't sense the Fly or the Erase anymore!"

_They have found what you're looking for. Hurry!_ Without further guidance, Sakura ran as fast as she could, but she sensed something was wrong. "Sword!" she shouted, sending the Sword back into its sealed state and releasing her Staff. "Fly! Return to your power confined!" she shouted, but the bird did not appear. Clenching her teeth, she tried again. "Erase! Come to my aid!" Still nothing. "Something's wrong!"

* * *

Darian sat in his study, the only piece of light coming from the flickering of the fire in the fireplace. His red hair was tied back as usual, and he stared triumphantly into a black obsidian mirror. The image in the mirror was Sakura's.

Of course Darian was surprised, completely, when two of Sakura's Star Cards appeared out of nowhere in the mirror, and at first Darian had to do everything in his power to seal the mirror so they would not come through. He had to act fast; he was caught off guard. But as he expected, it eventually worked out in his favor.

The magician sat in the chair, one leg crossed over the other, holding two cards- both black with blue and silver swirling in the image of the Fly and the Erase. "Your mobility is gone, as is one of the few cards you can use against me," he said as he gazed into the obsidian mirror. "What are you going to do now, Sakura?"

Then, waving a hand over the mirror, he undid the seal. "How kind of you to send me two of your Cards so willingly," he said.

Sakura looked up, hearing the voice echo. She could see seven small black points of light floating in front of her. "Darian!" she shouted. Then his image appeared before her. "Sword!" she shouted, and the staff transformed once again. She rushed at him. Sakura had never been very adept with swords, but a few years of training with Syaoran had offered her knowledge of the basics- at least enough to not be more of a hazard to her or her allies.

Black wings appeared on Darian's shoes again, and he jumped over and behind her. "You really will have to do better than that, Sakura," he said. Then, suddenly, he found himself unable to move. He looked down at his feet, and clenched his teeth. Vines had grown up from what served as the ground in this area, wrapping tightly around his legs, and inching further up his body. "What!"

"You'll have to do better than that, Darian," Sakura said with a smirk. "I know your moves by now; you never attack, you always Jump away. So all I had to do is limit your mobility!"

"You seem very proud of yourself. But you forget, I have other cards now!" Darian raised his Staff. "Firey!" he shouted, and from out of the Book came the swirling, raging sprite. She circled around Darian and burned only the Wood that was keeping him.

"Watery!" Sakura shouted, and the Firey's natural opposite appeared. The two battled, the Watery keeping its counterpart busy while the Wood grew once more. "Now then, give me back my Cards!"

Darian grinned maniacally, "Take them from me! Take what is rightfully mine, just see if you can!"

"Rightfully yours?" Sakura asked, faltering just a bit, allowing Darian to call forth the Erase to completely destroy the vines holding him down.

"Yes, rightfully mine! You do not have an ounce of Clow Reed's blood in your veins! That Syaoran brat, your beloved husband, has more claim to the Cards than you do! So I, a descendant of Clow Reed's English family, have the right to take what is mine!"

Sakura paused, torn. He was right. She was not related at all to Clow Reed. It was purely an accident that she had even discovered the Cards.

_There is no coincidence, only inevitability._

Where did those words come from? And who spoke them? Why did they seem so familiar?

"Give up your claim on the Cards! They should have stayed sealed away, or opened by someone worthy!"

Sakura stepped backwards, doubt once more filling her heart. The light around her began to dim, as did the Star Cards. Suddenly the Shadow disappeared entirely, swirling around beneath the two Captors. Sakura gasped. "Shadow!" It had been released completely, from the Star Card, from the Clow Cards. Darian continued to grin, his eyes wide with greed.

"Shadow! Compelled by the power within, be sealed once again!" Darian pointed his own staff at the Shadow, which froze, unable to move. Sakura watched him, frozen to the spot.

_Sakura! What are you doing? Stop him!_ The voice was the Light, coming from all around her. "Sh-shadow! Return to your power confined! Star Card!" Sakura shouted, with less vigor than Darian. As a result, Darian's magic overpowered Sakura's.

"That's it! By the power of the Nova, return to your borrowed state!" The Shadow swirled up and around, filling up a small card shape. When it was finished, the Nova Card went to its new master.

Darian floated easily, triumphantly, to the ground. "I thank you once again, Sakura. We really must do it again someti-"

From behind came a giant roar, and a large animal leaped towards him. Darian turned around, startled, just in time to see the Thunder in the air, coming down towards him. "Wh-what!"

Sakura was holding her staff in the air, her eyes defiant, glaring at Darian. "They are _my_ Cards, and not yours! You will not take any more from me, and I _will_ get them back!" The Thunder landed on Darian, pulling him to the ground and pinning him there.

The Thunder seemed to burn Darian where its claws touched skin, and where it touched clothing, it sizzled off in that spot. Darian screamed in pain. In response to his call, two figures appeared out of nowhere. Sakura looked up, and smiled.

"Keroberos! Yue!" she shouted.

* * *

A/N: Woo! Long chapter, probably because it's the first new chapter I've written in a while! Sakura's finally taking charge! But is it too late! Hmm, though I seem to be writing quite a few battles and they all seem to end with Sakura losing.. should maybe change that up a bit :/


	10. Searching for Answers

A beam of energy came from one of the figures, attacking the Thunder head on. Although it did little damage, it was enough to knock the large cat-like beast off of Darian. Darian moaned and struggled to sit up, sporting lightning burns on his arms and legs where the beast had landed. Some of his pants legs had been torn away near the ankles, and Sakura could see the marks where the vines from the Wood had injured him as well.

Sakura looked up. "What?" Her confusion became even greater as the shapes revealed themselves. They were not Yue and Keroberos, as she had thought briefly, but they were quite familiar. The young woman's eyes widened. "You're Eriol's Guardians! Ruby Moon! Spinel Sun!" As the two landed, they landed on either side of Darian, staring at Sakura. Their eyes were dull and they did not seem to actually see her. "You're being controlled.." Sakura said.

Darian stood up, though it pained him to do so. He leaned on Spinel Sun for support. "How observant of you. They answer to my magic now. What good are Guardians without something to rule over? But I was fortunate they came. Just as the Clow Cards," Darian adjusted his glasses, "excuse me, Star Cards, needed a Master to control them and Guardians to balance, so do my Nova Cards. Ruby and Spinel joined me at the perfect time. Their power is growing, actually, just as poor Keroberos and Yue's is waning."

"What did you do with Eriol!" Sakura demanded, brandishing the Sword.

"Eriol is safe... as safe as he can be." Sakura charged forward, but Ruby Moon and Spinel Sun jumped in the way of Eriol, both summoning their energy for an attack. However, the Thunder and the Earthy came forward to take them on, along with the Wood attacking from below.

Sakura came closer, and Darian gasped, using his Staff to block Sakura's Sword. "You're persistent, aren't you?" Darian demanded. Locked in the struggle, Darian sought an escape. "Fly!" he shouted, and wings sprouted on his Staff, lifting him high up above Sakura, who nearly fell forward from the sudden lift off. Her sword caught his thigh, however, as he moved, cutting a large gash and even leaving drops of blood on the blade.

Seeing their master take off, Ruby Moon and Spinel Sun followed quickly, the moon guardian taking one of Darian's arms in hers, and her sun counterpart flying close by on the other side. As they rose higher, they finally disappeared, as did the spirits of the Nova Cards.

Sakura watched them go, her eyes narrowed and enraged. Not knowing what else to do, she placed the remaining Star Cards inside the Book of the Star. Beside her the Light and the Dark appeared, looking solemn. "We lost even more," Sakura said. The Light and the Dark placed their hands on her shoulders.

_We will get them back_.

* * *

"Sakura!" Kero and Yukito said together as the young woman's eyes fluttered open and she stood up. "Sakura's back!" The door burst open, revealing Syaoran, Toya, and Tomoyo.

"Well?" Syaoran asked as he helped Sakura steady herself. She had been sitting in one position for quite a while; she had no idea for how long.

"He got away..." was her reply. Tomoyo sighed and Toya punched the wall. "But.. I think I can find him now.. I think I've found a way to track him down."

"What are you saying?" Syaoran asked.

"I'm not sure.. not entirely.. but, Yue and Kero are still somewhat connected to Clow Reed, who was reborn as Eriol. Darian is keeping Eriol somewhere, I know it.. if we can find him, then perhaps it will lead us to Darian and the Nova Cards!"

Syaoran looked at Kero and Yukito expectantly. Kero crossed his arms and flew up to float near Yukito's shoulder. "I can't say it's an exact art.. but it might work. But we would need Yue, as well as the help of the remaining Star Cards."

There was a silence, then Tomoyo spoke. "This Darian.. can we be sure he's even in Hong Kong? Or China for that matter. That dimension you crossed could easily put us and the other side of the world next to each other. He might even be in England, where Eriol was."

Sakura sighed, and went to sit in the high-backed chair, nearly collapsing in it. Then, to everyone's surprise, Toya looked up. Until now he had been deep in thought, not registering much around him.

"Tell me something.. this Eriol guy.. would he have the same exact aura as Clow Reed, or would it be different?"

"Toya?" Yukito asked, but Kero raised a brow.

"It is difficult to explain. Whenever Eriol works his magic, we sense Clow Reed entirely. But Eriol is just Eriol.. it's Clow Reed, but it's not.." At Kero's answer, Toya's eyes widened.

"I think I know where he is."

* * *

"Why can't we just cross dimensions, like Clow Reed?" Kero was not having a good time. Sakura had only once successfully crossed dimensions, and that was only with herself and the Star Cards. She dared not try it with other people, especially not Tomoyo and Yukito. So, the group boarded a plane that would take them directly to Tomoeda.

"Kero! Keep quiet," Sakura said, trying to stuff him inside her purse. Syaoran and Toya passed by her without so much a glance at Kero, and when they came to the door to the plane, they stopped. They could not go through at the same time, but neither would yield. Yukito came up and excused himself, passing between them.

"No! I don't wanna go back in there!" Kero nearly cried, that is, until Madison came up.

"Hey, Kero-chan.. if you stay in there for the duration of the trip, I'll buy you a whole dessert platter at a restaurant of your choice!" This bribe, of course, caused Kero to stop in his tracks. He mumbled something about it being stuffy and hot, but without much more trouble, zipped himself inside Sakura's purse. Sakura and Tomoyo exchanged smiles, and a bit of laughter. The two proceeded to the entry, where Syaoran and Toya were still struggling to be the first one on the plane.

"Toya! You're holding up the line!" Sakura reprimanded from inside the plane, causing Syaoran to grin. However, Toya saw his chance and slipped past Syaoran, sticking his tongue out as he did.

"I think we should have just tried crossing dimensions," Syaoran said as he approached Sakura to sit next to her, but stopped. Toya was sitting where he should. He clenched his teeth and his fist, but Sakura seemed to pay him no mind. Yukito, who sat behind Toya, waved Syaoran over.

"Syaoran-kun! You can sit here! Toya said the seats were switched around!" With apparently nothing to say, Syaoran stiffly approached the seat and sat down next to the window, behind Sakura. Tomoyo sat on the other side of the aisle.

"Come on, Syaoran! Just enjoy the plane ride!"

"I still think crossing dimensions would have been easier," Syaoran said sulkily. "No extra baggage," he added with a glare at Toya's head. Kero popped his head out of Tomoyo's bag, because sometime during the seat hopping he had hopped bags as well.

"Don't sweat it kid! You're still Sakura's number one!" Syaoran sighed and crossed his arms. Perhaps he could just sleep the whole way to Tomoeda.

* * *

A/N: Alright! Here is finally the real chapter 10! I hope you enjoy the end of the fight! Now, it's on to the next quest: Finding Eriol!

I apologize deeply, again, for the delay in writing! I might be taking a semester off from school to work, which will give me plenty of time to write, both in my fanfics as well as for work! Updates should *hopefully* become more frequent~


	11. Chance Meeting

Sakura had fallen asleep on the plane, much to the amusement of Tomoyo, who insisted on recording her while she slept. Yukito seemed to enjoy the ride as much as Tomoyo did, but both Syaoran and Toya were obviously hating the time they had to spend near each other. However, Sakura's sleep was not as peaceful as it may have seemed to the others.

The young woman found herself surrounded by water; it was just a small pool it seemed, barely deep enough for her bare feet to get wet. The pool was also not very big around. In her hands was the Star Wand, which she held tightly. Everything around her was darkened, except for the small bit of light in her immediate area.

"Where am I..?" she asked the darkness, and her voice echoed. "Hm?" Her gaze was turned down, to the pool. At first, she saw her own, normal reflection. Then, the water rippled, and the reflection changed. It was Clow Reed, holding the Sealing Wand the same way she held her own. "Clow?"

At the word, the ripple changed again, splitting into two different reflections. They were both boys, one was visibly older than the other. The elder one had short, black hair, green eyes, and round glasses. He had a stern but kind face, but the expression was angry and sad at the same time. Next to him was a younger, brown-haired and brown-eyed boy. This boy seemed frightened, but very strong. Sakura smiled down at the two boys, because seeing them seemed to calm her spirit. She knew them, even though she had never seen them before in her life.

Suddenly a wind picked up, blowing the water all around her and making the illusions disappear, and it was replaced with a young man with long, red hair, and an evil grin on his face. He held a black wand, which Sakura recognized as the Wand of the Nova. He laughed, silently, mocking her.

"Darian!" she shouted, raising her wand, but her wand had disappeared. "What?" she gasped, as the remainder of her Star Cards appeared and began to glow. Darian continued to laugh as the cards, one by one, dove into the water and disappeared.

"No!" Sakura cried, reaching for the cards, but before she could fall, a hand caught her. She turned around, and saw Clow Reed standing there, looking at her solemnly. Then he smiled.

"There can be only one," he said, but his voice seemed to fade away. "Sakura.."

"Sakura," everything around her began to disappear, including Clow Reed. "Sakura!" The woman's eyes fluttered open. She looked up and sat up quickly, her face becoming very red. Syaoran, Yukito, Kero, and Tomoyo stood around her, Toya was still seated.

"Sakura, they're waiting for us to leave the plane," he said, causing Sakura to blush even deeper and stand up, quickly walking down the empty aisle and off the plane. "H-Hey! Sakura!" he shouted, jumping up and chasing after her, causing the other three to follow suit. When he caught up with her, he grabbed her by the shoulder and spun her around.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"N-Nothing," Sakura said quietly. "I had a bad dream, is all! You should really stop worrying about me, Toya." With that, she smiled happily and turned around. "Wow, it's really great to be back home!"

Toya sighed and started to follow her, but out of the corner of his eye, he saw someone. She had long, light hair and kind eyes. And she looked familiar. "Mother..?" he asked, disbelieving. He started to run after the woman, who turned into the crowd.

"Toya!" Yukito shouted. "We have to get our luggage!"

"It can wait!" Toya responded. Looking at each other, Yukito and Syaoran followed Toya. Tomoyo and Sakura started to follow as well. Kero looked around, suddenly alone.

"Hey, guys! Wait for me!"

Toya pushed his way through the crowd, trying desperately to keep up with whoever he was following. Finally, when the throng of people finally seemed to end, he had lost sight of the woman.

"What was that all about?" Syaoran demanded, panting for breath.

"There you are!" said a cheerful voice from behind them. "Kuro-puu! I've found Syaoran-kun and Sakura-hime!"

Syaoran and Sakura turned around, thoroughly confused by this oddly dressed blond man. He smiled cheerfully at them, before tilting his head to the side. "Why… that's odd. You are not the Syaoran and Sakura _we _know… I apologize, I must continue my search!"

With that, the man and his companion (who looked less than happy to be there) turned to leave. Sakura stopped them, however. "Wait! Who are you? Have we met before?"

The two turned around. The blond man spoke first. "Well, in a way, you could say we have. Our companions look very much like you two, and we seem to have lost them."

"_We _are searching for someone too. Perhaps we could… help each other?" Yukito offered cheerfully. Yukito took it just as happily.

"I'm Fay," the white-robed man said, extending his hand. "The grouchy one is Kuro-pan. Don't mind him, he's always like this!"

"Hey, stop playing around. I want to get our business done here and leave!" Suddenly Kurogane saw Tomoyo standing beside Sakura. "Tomoyo.." he whispered.

Tomoyo blinked a few times, then smiled. "Yes, I'm Tomoyo. But I don't think we've met before."

"No.. of course not." Kurogane said, turning around.

Yukito smiled. "I am Yukito, this is Toya. Obviously you already know the rest of us, somehow." Toya and Syaoran looked skeptical, but Sakura seemed more curious than anything. Kero flew up to the two and started sniffing, as if he were searching for a scent or trace of magic.

"I smell magic on you," he remarked as he flew around them. "Both of you. It's dimensional, or time-travel, magic, isn't it?"

Sakura gasped. "Clow Reed?" Kero flew over to her, crossing his arms.

"Not quite. It's very similar though."

Fay smiled. "The Dimensional Witch sent us here. You see, we're on a quest. Perhaps we could very well help each other! If you need to find someone, I'm sure the Dimensional Witch can help you… but we need to find our companions first."

"Who is this Dimensional Witch?" Syaoran demanded.

"Her name is Yuuko. It's.. better if you meet her."

A/N: Okay, so I thought it would be interesting if I had the xxxHolic crew jump in for a short cameo! What surprises are in store for Sakura and the others once they find their other selves?


	12. Warnings

Toya and Yukito seemed to lead the way around Tomoeda. Syaoran, however, was getting restless. "We don't have time for this!" he whispered angrily to Sakura. "We need to find Eriol and Darian!"

Sakura kissed him lightly on the cheek, something she did whenever he was growing angry, as it always seemed to calm him down. "Don't worry Syaoran.. We'll find them soon."

Suddenly the group stopped. Kero was looking pointedly to their left. "I sense a powerful magic nearby," he said. "Let's go!" The group turned as a whole and followed him, stopping once they reached a small park. There, on the bench, was a tiny white rabbit-like animal, juggling balls.

Fay smiled. "Mokona!" he said as he and Kurogane approached the little creature, interrupting its song.

"Fay! Kuro-tan!" The little creature tossed the balls up in the air and opened his mouth, sucking them into a dimension, before leaping into Fay's arms. "Mokona missed you!" he said sadly, hugging Fay tightly.

"We missed you too, Mokona. No chance you've seen our Syaoran-kun and Sakura-hime?"

"No," the creature said, still sad. Suddenly Kero appeared over Fay's shoulder, and floated around Mokona.

"What is this thing? I sense a powerful magic.. Seems like Clow Reed's too!"

"You know Clow Reed?" Mokona asked.

"_You_ know Clow Reed?" Kero asked.

"He created us!" Mokona said, referring to the black Mokona as well.

"He created _us_!" Kero echoed.

Sakura stepped forward. "Ah, sorry to interrupt, but could you perhaps tell us where we can find someone?" The Mokona looked at Sakura quizzically, then its face broke into a smile.

"Sakura!" then, upon closer inspection, he frowned and crossed his arms. "You're not _our_ Sakura! Mokona's sad.. Mokona can't find our Sakura or Syaoran anywhere.. Oh! But Yuuko could help you!"

"Would you summon her, Mokona?" Fay asked, to which Mokona complied. He hopped down on the ground and his jewel began to glow. Suddenly, a tall, pale, beautiful woman with long black hair appeared in front of them.

"Mokona! So good to hear back from you darling!" Her smile was bright as her eyes scanned over Fay and Kurogane, but then her smile faded as she saw Sakura and the others. "I take it.. You're in Tomoeda.."

Toya nodded. Nothing seemed to surprise him anymore. "We are. Are you the Dimensional Witch?"

"I am… I can grant your wishes if you so choose."

Sakura stepped forward. "Please, there is someone we need to find!"

"I know who you seek, and I'm afraid I can't help you. I cannot get involved. But if you need to, I can give you information.. In exchange for something, of course."

"What do you require?" Syaoran asked flatly.

"Nothing much. Just an exchange of information. That is the price, something relatively simple."

The group was silent for a moment, exchanging glances. Finally Sakura stepped forward, a hard determination on her face. "What do you want to know?"

Yuuko smiled. "The price for this information is simple. Tell me, how did you happen to meet Fay and Kurogane?"

Sakura was obviously taken by surprise at this question. It was not something she expected at all. Kero was obviously having issues with even this simple question, however, as he flew up to Yuuko's image. "What do you mean! You come in here and start asking questions? We don't even know who you are! Why does it matter how we met? Who are you and who are these people!"

"Are these really the questions that need to be answered, Keroberos?" Yuuko asked, regarding him coolly. Kero stopped, flying slowly and warily backwards to stop at where Sakura was standing. He crossed his arms, starting to sulk. "Yes, I know who you are," Yuuko continued. "You are the Guardian Beast… a creation of Clow Reed, just like Mokona here."

"Please, Yuuko-san," Sakura said, stepping forward. "My friends and I met Fay-san and Kurogane-san at the airport.. We were searching for someone, and found them instead. Apparently two of their comrades are missing, and they mistook myself and Syaoran for them."

"Yes, I see. Very well then, heed this warning: Fay, Kurogane. Once I have concluded my business with young Sakura and her friends, you are to locate your own party and leave immediately. You know that each world has its own "versions" so to speak of each and every soul. Well, it just so happens that the world you're in now has a Sakura and Syaoran, the same as with you. They must _not_ be allowed to meet. You are to keep it a secret you even met them. Understand?

"But of course," Fay said, still smiling.

Then Yuuko turned to address Sakura. "Sakura, I cannot tell you where to find this person you are looking for, but I can offer some information on where he comes from. Darian Hale.. Is the heir to a family that is descended from two other families: Reed and Li. But do not think that he is so closely related to you, Syaoran.

"Over time, both the Reed family and the Li clan of course split. They are a family that practices both Western and Eastern magic, whereas Li is aligned solely with Eastern. Darian is descended both from Clow Reed's family, and the Li clan. He is not a direct descendant of Clow Reed himself, however, like you are.

"Because of his blood, he technically can claim a right to the Clow Cards, but not the Star Cards. In order to do this, he must forcibly make the Star Cards into something completely different. His family has waited many generations to take control of the cards, and now that he has come along, they have the power to do so. Darian's magic is very powerful. His blood is what allows him to rival your magic so well."

Yuuko could tell by the looks on Sakura and Syaoran's faces that they did not know of Darian's origins. She closed her eyes. "It's quite simple really… because he shares the Li family's blood, he can rightfully lay claim on the Cards. So it's up to you to know how to stop him. His negative magic counterbalances your positive magic in such a way that he must not get a hold of any more cards."

The next few minutes passed quickly. Yuuko disappeared, deciding that there was nothing left to say, and Sakura and the others bid farewell to Fay and Kurogane. However, they were left with just as many questions as they had before they spoke with Yuuko, the main one still: Where was Eriol? And where was Darian?

* * *

A/N: Kay so, this chapter was kinda filler I readily admit that. It will pick up.. I promise J


	13. Invitation

Eriol paced the enclosed space where he was being kept. His eyes were focused and his jaw set firmly as many different thoughts on how to escape crossed his mind. He was nowhere near as powerful as he once was, in this life or in his former life; Sakura and Darian were on a whole new level. He had retained enough power to keep Ruby Moon and Spinnel Sun, though. Or so he thought.

Now both guardians were under Darian's control. Eriol was certain they were not with him of their own free will. Darian had simply found away to erase his existence from their minds and replace it with his own. If Eriol could rescue them from Darian's grasp, perhaps he might have a chance to help Sakura.

This thought caused him to stop pacing. Help Sakura? No, he could no longer help her. He had promised himself, and it was not fair to her. Eriol and Clow Reed needed to be out of Sakura's life, so that she could live it herself. But then again, this was not merely war on Sakura and the Cards. It was war on him, as well, and his creations.

Eriol held out his hand and tried to summon his staff. Once again, it failed. Darian's sphere of influence was unimaginably powerful. The young man sighed and sat down in one of the chairs of the small room. "What am I going to do?" he asked himself. If he could not use his magic, he could not escape. If he could not escape, he could not help Sakura.

The magician smiled grimly, resting his chin on his hands. "I guess I'll just have to rely on you to rescue me, Sakura… Just this once."

* * *

"You said you knew where he would be!"

"I said I _might_ know where he would be! I know he's in Tomoeda, but I can't pinpoint his location!"

"You are useless, aren't you?"

"Why you little punk…"

The only thing that stopped the oncoming fight was Yukito. He placed himself between Syaoran and Toya, smiling and holding up his hands. "Come now, you two. There's no need for that. I'm sure we'll be able to find him." Yukito stole a worried glance towards Sakura. "Besides, your fighting isn't helping Sakura at all!" he whispered sternly.

Toya and Syaoran had nothing in common. Nothing except their love for Sakura. For her, either one of them would give up anything, even putting aside their argument when both of them wanted nothing more than to knock the other one out.

"Sakura? Are you okay?" Tomoyo asked, placing a hand on her friend's shoulder. Sakura nodded.

"This has to end," the young woman said. She clenched her fists. "It has to end, one way or the other."

"You can't let anymore Cards fall into this guy's hands, Sakura, I don't care who he is! I picked you to be the new Master, and Yue confirmed that! You are the only one in this lifetime meant to hold the Cards." Kero had flown over to Sakura and hovered near her shoulder.

Sakura smiled at Kero. "Thanks, Kero-chan," she said cheerfully.

"That's my girl," the guardian said. "Now, let's go kick some thieving butt!"

* * *

Eriol did not know much about what was going on outside of his room, but he did notice when Darian returned, obviously weakened, but still with a feeling of triumph.

"What are you doing, Sakura? Hurry up and get rid of this guy," Eriol muttered to the darkness. He stood in the center of his room, trying once more to summon his circle, but his concentration was interrupted by a knock at the door. He made no move to answer it.

Instead, it opened anyways, revealing Ruby Moon carrying a tray of food. Her eyes were glazed over, almost black, as she walked in. There was no recognition in them when she looked at Eriol. She set the tray down on the table, and turned to face him. Behind her, Darian appeared, his long dark red hair draped over his shoulder in a ponytail, as it usually was.

In one hand he carried the Staff of the Nova, and in the other he carried the Book of the Nova, within it all the cards he had captured. He smirked when he looked at Eriol. "I do apologize, Clow Reed, for such small accommodations. I assure you, once I have all nineteen cards, I will move you to a more… appropriate location."

Eriol narrowed his eyes and smiled grimly. "I'm sure that I'm much more comfortable here than anywhere you would send me once you've gotten a hold of all of Sakura's remaining power."

Darian chuckled. "You're probably right. Unfortunately I don't have enough power to lock you away in a dimensional prison. But as long as I keep you out of the way until I gain Sakura's last few Star Cards, then I won't have a problem. Once that's done, Sakura will be no threat to me, unless you're still here. Once I have all the Cards, the Guardian Beast and the Judge will be mine as well. The only thing standing in my way after that is you.. You who could possibly tell Sakura how to take back the Cards."

"You think you have this all planned out, don't you?" Eriol asked.

"I do. Rather ingenious, don't you think?"

"You're missing one key element." Darian raised his eyebrows in question. Eriol continued: "Sakura won't lose anymore Cards."

The red-haired man laughed out loud. "That no longer matters, Clow. Her power over them is weakening." Darian turned to leave, waving as he did so. "I only have to call forth the Judge, and he will test us. And I'll be the one to pass, this time around." Ruby Moon turned to follow him out of the room, shutting the door behind her, and leaving Eriol alone to his thoughts.

* * *

Sakura stood in the middle of Penguin Park. Syaoran, Tomoyo, and Toya stood a good bit away, so as not to interrupt her. Only Kero and Yukito stood nearby. Sakura opened her arms and closed her eyes, concentrating hard. After a few minutes, a wind seemed to swirl around her, lifting her off the ground just slightly. The ground beneath her began to glow, and her circle appeared.

"He _is _close," Sakura said. "I can sense him. But… his essence is obscured by something else. Like a barrier of sorts. I'm getting closer, though," she added. In her mind's eye, it seemed she was following a path. A path that led to Eriol. But the magic flowing through her began to dwindle as a black magic circle appeared over her own golden one, as if suppressing it.

"I do apologize," said a voice, "but I cannot allow you to see Eriol just yet." Darian walked towards them, causing the group to tense up. "Please relax, I have come to extend an invitation, not a challenge." The man thought for a moment, then smiled. "Well, it is a challenge. A fair fight, to settle things once and for all between us, Sakura Li."

"That sounds good," she replied with a grim smile. "I feel the need to settle this as well."

Darian clapped his hands together. "Well then, I'm glad we agree!" Behind him appeared Ruby Moon and Spinnel Sun. "Meet me tomorrow night at the top of Tokyo Tower. Don't be late," he said. Then, without another word, he and the two guardians disappeared.

Toya raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms. "Tokyo Tower? Why there?" Sakura, Syaoran, and the others, however, were silent. "Guys? What's at Tokyo Tower?"

Syaoran said gloomily, "It was where the Final Judgment took place sixteen years ago, when Sakura was named Master of the Cards." He stole a glance at Yukito. "No doubt.. He's going to try and recreate that, with himself and Sakura as the candidates instead of her and myself, like it was the first time."

"But how is that possible?" Tomoyo asked. "Yue is the Judge, and he cannot sustain his form. Plus, he's already named Sakura as Master, hasn't he? Won't he just do it again?"

"It's not so simple," Kero chimed in. "The Judge is obligated to test each candidate. Anyone who holds at least a single card under their control can take the test. This means, even a Master of the Cards can be challenged. When the time comes for the test, Yue will appear, for better or for worse."

Yukito smiled and placed a hand on Sakura's shoulder. "Don't worry, Sakura. I'm sure Yue will recognize you, he won't forget about you so easily, I know."

Even though no one believed his words, not even Yukito himself, Sakura felt much better. Perhaps there would be a way to reach Yue, if he truly did come back as her enemy.


	14. The Battle Begins

"Are you ready, Sakura?" Tomoyo asked. Sakura nodded gravely. "It's almost time. Here," suddenly Tomoyo shoved a small package into Sakura's arms.

"Eh! What is this, Tomoyo?"

Tomoyo smiled and waved her finger. "Uh uh, just go put it on and let me see!" she exclaimed, shoving Sakura into the nearest unoccupied room. They had all come to Sakura's old house. Her father was out on a trip at the moment, so there was no one but themselves.

"Okay, okay, I'm going!" Sakura said, knowing that arguing or protesting would be useless with Tomoyo. When she shut the door behind her, she opened the package and took out Tomoyo's latest costume. Tomoyo sat outside the door, smiling mischievously. That smile only widened when she heard Sakura's embarrassed scream moments later.

"TOMOYO!" she shouted, causing everyone else to flood up to the room when Sakura swung the door open, her face red with embarrassment and anger. The red hue deepened when she saw not only Tomoyo, but Yukito, Toya, and Syaoran all standing there. Tomoyo was the only one smiling expectantly; the others were shocked beyond belief.

Sakura's new "battle costume" was quite different from anything Tomoyo had made before. It was a bikini-style costume; the top was a halter top, the strings of which were so incredibly long that even tied into the bow they were, the strings hung down to Sakura's waist. The bottom, which was too close to a two-piece bathing suit for comfort, had a similar string tie on the left side. However, there was a long skirt-like attachment to the bottoms; it started in the center of each hip and connected in the back, providing a semi-skirt that covered the sides and back of Sakura's legs, and most of the front. There were matching gloves and shoes, of course. The shoes were ankle-length heels.

Almost as soon as Sakura opened the door, Tomoyo snapped a picture. There was silence in the crowd as Sakura slammed the door shut again. "I'm not wearing this! Am I going to go swimming or will I be fighting Cards?"

"Oh please Sakura? This may be the very last chance I get to make a battle costume!"

Syaoran approached the door, his own face slightly red. "It was… rather cute on you, Sakura…" he said quietly. Toya stood scratching his cheek, preferring to just stay out of this one. Yukito and Kero too, stayed quiet.

"It's almost time, Darian," Spinnel Sun said as he walked up behind the young man.

"Yes, it is." The three of them stood on top of Tokyo Tower. It was not quite midnight yet. "You know what to do, right?" he asked Ruby Moon and the panther.

"Yes," she replied. "I am to keep an eye on Eriol, so he does not interfere."

"And I will keep Keroberos busy."

"Very good."

Reluctantly, Sakura agreed to wear Tomoyo's outfit, but only on one condition. "Aww, but Sakura we can't see your cute body when you wear that!" Tomoyo complained, pointing to the small hoodie Sakura had pulled on over the top. Sakura crossed her arms. The hoodie still gave Sakura a bare midriff, but only slightly, between it and the bikini bottoms with partial skirt she was wearing. The outfit was still cute; Syaoran's face continued to stay red while the two women argued.

"Tomoyo, it will be too cold to wear just that! Otherwise I would," Sakura added, though not very convincingly. "Really! Tell you what, when the nights start to get a little warmer… I'll," Sakura looked around, then whispered, "I'll put it on and do some stuff with the cards… like, summon them and fly around and stuff. You can record me then, okay?"

This seemed to cheer Tomoyo up considerably, because she finally agreed to the conditions. Kero flew around impatiently. "Just come on already! If this is going to end, we've gotta go!"

Sakura nodded, and Toya placed a hand on Yukito's arm. "Yukito… are you ready?" he asked.

"Haha, of course I am, Toya! I probably won't remember a thing, anyways." Toya's concern was obvious in his eyes, but Yukito brushed it off. "I'll be fine, Toya. Promise!" Sakura's brother was still skeptical, but he dropped the issue. Together, they headed out for Tokyo Tower, none of them planning on being left behind.

Darian grinned as he saw Sakura come out of the door that led to the rooftop of Tokyo Tower. "So you did come. I'm impressed, truly."

"Did you think I wouldn't?" Sakura demanded.

"I thought you wouldn't," Darian confirmed. "Now that you're here, let's get started."

Sakura nodded. Darian pulled out the Book of the Nova and opened it. Sakura did the same with the Book of the Star. They mimicked each other's movements. Darian's eight Nova Cards appeared in a semi-circle around him. Sakura's remaining twelve did the same thing. They both carried their staves, Darian's was like a dark, twisted version of Sakura's.

"Now then…" Darian said with a grin. He held up his staff, and beneath him a black circle appeared. Next to him, Eriol appeared. Black strings of magic seemed to hold him in place until Ruby Moon came towards him. "I think we're only missing one person."

Sakura continued to glare at him, silent, her Cards hovering before her. Kero had transformed into the Guardian Beast and was standing nearby. Darian raised his staff once more. "O Judge, the Moon Incarnate! Come forth to do battle and put these candidates to your test! The time for a new Master has come!" A wind picked up, blowing violently. Behind Sakura, Yukito gasped and seemed to fall slowly backwards, but never hit the ground. Instead, the circle that represented the Moon and the Judge appeared beneath him. Wings grew out of Yukito's back and enveloped him. Then he disappeared entirely.

"Yukito!" Toya shouted.

"It's fine!" Keroberos replied. "The Judge will be here soon." _For better or for worse._

_Above Sakura and Darian, the magic circle appeared again, revealing Yue for the first time in weeks. Sakura could not feel relieved, however. This Yue was the same Yue she had first come into contact with some sixteen years earlier; this Yue was the Judge, who presented candidates with a test. If they failed his test, their memories would be wiped out, and the Cards released._

_Yue floated casually to the ground. "Present your Cards," he demanded. His cold, blue eyes gazed lazily down at them. "Fine then." Suddenly, he drew an arrow out of thin air, the bow forming as he did so. "Candidate one, prepare to face me." Without another warning, he shot his first arrow at Sakura, who barely had time to dodge. Darian was outraged._

"_Please, O Judge, let me prove my worth first! Let me take on your challenge!"_

_Yue glared at Darian, and his eyes seemed to glow. As they glowed, so did Darian's body and the Nova Cards. Each and every one were shoved backwards, out of the way. "Each Candidate will have their turn. I will test you both. No one can defeat me, so why ask for punishment so soon?"_

_Darian struggled to stand up. Neither Ruby Moon nor Spinnel Sun ran to him. They had their own orders._

_Keroberos shouted, "Sakura, quick! Don't let him gain the upper hand!" But his advice was cut off by a black mass of claws and teeth. Spinnel Sun attacked Keroberos, hoping to lead him away. Within moments, the two beasts were locked in a battle, neither paying attention to their respective Masters._

_Eriol watched from a distance as well, his eyes narrowed. Did Yue not recognize her at all? Of course not… there was no way he could, not under these circumstances. He could do nothing to help Sakura._

_She was on her own._


	15. Judgement

"Yue! Yue, please, don't you remember me?" Sakura pleaded, but her words had no effect on him. She would have to fight him. Yue, without hesitation, fired an arrow towards her. As it came towards her, Sakura summoned the Maze. The entire top of Tokyo Tower seemed to be covered in a Maze; separating everyone.

Sakura held her breath. Even Yue could not fly above the Maze. "Yue can't be defeated by force, and I have to be careful not to use Cards under his protection." Sakura narrowed her eyes. "Mirror!" she shouted, summoning her second card. Instantaneously, the reflection of herself appeared.

"Don't get lost," the Mirror said to her. Sakura shook her head.

"I won't. Not if you stay here, and be the place I return to." With that, Sakura ran on ahead. Hopefully this would distract Yue long enough for her to form some sort of plan to defeat him. She did it once, surely she could do it again! But, how did she do it last time?

Suddenly there was a noise behind her. She gasped and turned around, but found nothing there. Sakura relaxed, but only a bit. "Sword!" she called, and instantly her wand transformed. "Right then, next, Thunder!" However, as this Card was summoned, everything around her went dark.

"Smart, using Cards that Keroberos controls, and not me. Unfortunately it will take more than running and hiding to defeat me." The dark around them seemed to pull out, swirling and twisting into the Dark Card.

"Oh no! Dark!" Sakura gasped, reaching for the Card as it was swept from her grasp. It flew to Yue, who absorbed it in his body. Gritting her teeth, she called for Thunder, who ran beside her. Jumping onto the giant cat's back, she rode it towards Yue, her Sword poised and ready. Syaoran had given her lessons in swordsmanship, but she was never great at it.

As she neared Yue, the Thunder leaped up, Sakura holding fast with the Sword in the air. Yue moved backwards through the air, causing the Maze to shift again. "Annoying," Yue said, and waved his hand. The Maze began to warp and fade but it did not relinquish. Sakura was momentarily distracted, however, allowing her to be knocked back by Yue; pushed down to the ground and tumbling off the Thunder. The Sword flew out of her hand as well. With the Thunder confused, it started to attack, but without orders, its power was weak.

It did not take long for Yue to suppress it, as Sakura scrambled for her wand, which had released the Sword. Both Cards now took on their sealed forms, subsequently being absorbed by Yue as well. Then, everything went black again. Sakura gasped and felt around for the wand, which she eventually found.

"Glow!" Sakura summoned, and the little fairy appeared, hovering in front of her, casting a small light in a circle around her. Everything happened so fast after that. Yue pulled back his bow, and let several arrows fly, heading straight for Sakura. With no more cards to her defense, she called forth Earthy and Watery, hoping the two powerful elements would be enough to subdue the Judge.

It was in that moment that she forgot the crucial bit of information. Watery was one of the elements under Yue's direct jurisdiction. It made a streamline for the Guardian, but Yue's eyes began to glow, and the Watery stopped short. With a loud hiss, it turned around on its former Master. Despite the Earthy being on her side, the Watery was too fast, and it surrounded Sakura and lifted her up, encasing her in a bubble of water.

Sakura coughed, trying to catch her breath, but the Watery would not relinquish its hold. Yue looked at her without emotion. "I cannot fault you for the cards you would use against me. But your power is obviously not great enough to wield them."

Yue lifted his arm, and made as if to throw Sakura to the ground. The watery prison burst as it touched ground, causing Sakura to gasp as she hit hard. The Maze and the Earthy both disappeared, their Master unable to sustain them in her weakened state. Soon, all the remaining cards in Sakura's possession sealed, and were absorbed by Yue. The space warped back into the roof of Tokyo Tower.

"I'm not finished yet," Sakura said, struggling to stand.

"I think you are," Yue responded. His eyes glowed once again, and he lifted Sakura from the ground, throwing her like a rag to the side.

"Sakura!" three voices rang out as Syaoran, Toya, and Tomoyo ran to her. Eriol watched, his eyes wide with disbelief.

Keroberos was distracted from his fight with Spinel Sun long enough to see Sakura land amongst her friends. "Sakura!" he shouted, and started to fly towards her, but Spinel stopped him.

"Was it too hard to handle, O Mistress of the Cards?" Darian said condescendingly, with a smirk on his face as he stepped forward.

Syaoran lifted Sakura up, his eyes full of concern. Toya and Tomoyo hovered over her as well. Sakura coughed, water coming up from out of her lungs. "She took in a lot of water," Tomoyo said, "When Yue captured her with Watery."

Yue descended, his wings spread out gracefully. "It is time for the next Candidate to come forward."

Darian stepped forward, his red hair draped over his shoulder and his own wand in hand. He wasted no time. "Jump!" he shouted, and little black wings appeared on his shoes. He jumped towards Yue, summoning Firey as he did so. Firey burst into action, its searing heat closing the distance between itself and the Guardian. Yue was forced to fly backwards, but not for long. For now he had at his disposal all the Cards previously used by Sakura.

The Watery came out first, tangling with the Firey. Both nymphs were fierce, but even Firey's sheer power could not overcome its polar opposite. As it fought, Darian brought forth the Illusion. In Yue's hand appeared the Sword, and he came speeding towards the human he was fighting.

"Shield!" Darian shouted, and the Shield appeared on his right arm. He carried his staff in his left hand. As Yue came down, he lifted the Shield to block the attack. Darian disappeared before Yue made contact with him, causing Yue's eyes to widen just slightly, then narrow again as he spun around.

As they did whenever Yue began to subdue a card, his eyes glowed brightly, causing the Darian he had just attacked to glow as well, and vanish, transforming back into a Card. Yue immediately absorbed it and looked around for the real Darian. His question was answered the minute Windy materialized out of nowhere, being directed by Darian. This Windy was different, however. Instead of graceful and beautiful, she was black, twisted, and warped.

"Windy, huh…" Yue said, unimpressed. He raised a hand to stop the Windy, but at first she kept on coming, surprising Yue. "What?"

"You forget, Great Guardian," Darian said with a laugh. "You are not fighting Clow Cards, or Star Cards… those cards are guarded by yourself and Keroberos. These are not like the Cards you control. They have different Guardians now."

Yue narrowed his eyes and looked at Ruby Moon, who, although she was holding tightly to Eriol, was smiling. Her eyes were glowing.

The Judge then landed on his feet, the Sword disappearing from his grip. "You, who are not fighting me with your own power, have no claim to be Master of the Cards," he said coolly. Suddenly his entire body began to glow and a wind seemed to pick up around him, pushing against Darian. Seeing that he and Ruby Moon were both distracted, Eriol summoned what magic he had, breaking free from Ruby Moon's grasp. Although he had been severely weakened by Darian's seal, it was broken now.

In the instant that Ruby Moon's concentration was broken, the Windy became subdued by Yue, turning instantly around on Darian. As she sped towards him, her body transformed back into the real Windy.

"This can't happen!" Darian shouted. "Erase!" If he couldn't control the card, he would simply Erase it. But his power was severely weakened; without Ruby Moon's support, Yue proved too strong. The wings on Darian's shoes disappeared, also becoming absorbed by Yue.

"The Final Judgment has ended," Yue said clearly, pulling from Darian the last of his Cards. "The Cards… will be without a Master."

Keroberos growled. "If that happens, the Cards will run rampant again!"

"Then so be it, until someone who is worthy of being called "Master" comes along."

"Sakura is the Master!" Syaoran and Keroberos shouted together. Kero's fight had ended; Spinnel was more distracted about Darian than the fight, and both Ruby Moon and the black panther hastened to his side. However, Darian pushed them away angrily.

"Sakura is not the Master, and she never was." Yue replied.

"This is unbelievable!" Syaoran said, his hand clenching into a fist while he held Sakura, who seemed to be barely conscious. "Her powers were stolen from her! By _him!_ He stole the Cards she had captured and transformed, yet you let him even be a Candidate!"

"I do not pick the Candidates. Any who have Cards may challenge me to become the new Master."

"That's absurd!" Syaoran started, but he was stopped by a gentle hand.

Sakura looked up at Syaoran gently. "It's alright, Syaoran. Yue is right."

Syaoran looked down at her in disbelief. "Sakura?"

The young woman smiled, and struggled to stand, which Syaoran helped her do. "Thank you, Syaoran." Sakura let go of his hand and stood up straight, her eyes determined. She walked forward to Yue. "The Final Judgment is not over until all the Cards have been sealed by you, isn't that right, Yue?"

Yue turned his gaze on her. "That is correct. Therefore, the Final Judgment is over." As if to show this statement as the truth, nineteen Cards appeared in a circle around Yue. "I have them all."

"No, you don't," Sakura said defiantly. From out of nowhere, she pulled one last card.


	16. Hope

"_Who are you?"_

"_Don't you recognize me?" said the young girl's voice. Sakura looked around, she did not know where she was, but the owner of the voice slowly became visible._

_Sakura gasped. "You!"_

_The little girl nodded. She smiled a very sweet smile. "You helped me so much so long ago, I haven't forgotten. You let me return to all my friends, and so now I'm going to help you. I'm going to help you get all of our friends back!"_

_Sakura smiled and opened her eyes._

* * *

She was laying on the ground, with Syaoran, Tomoyo, and Toya standing around her. The voices were all blurred, it seemed Syaoran was shouting at Yue. Sakura gasped. That meant that Darian was fighting Yue now! Or even… had already finished. Was she too late? Did Darian win?

Sakura placed a hand on Syaoran's arm and stood up slowly. When Yue displayed the nineteen Star Cards, Sakura only smiled and pulled out one last card.

"Hope!" she cried, tossing the card in the air. "Come to my aid!" Sakura summoned her last Card with her wand. Yue's eyes widened.

"What?" he asked, the icy blue eyes narrowing now as he tried to take control of this strange card.

"I Captured and Sealed this Card long after the original nineteen, Yue," Sakura said. "As such, There was no Guardian assigned it; it is not underneath any of the Elements, or the Light or Dark. It is _my_ card, _my _power!"

Slowly the Hope materialized into the small girl. She laughed a bit, then flew towards Yue. He summoned Windy and Watery, who swirled around him, but the Hope only smiled. She touched each one and they faded away almost instantly.

"What is this!" Yue demanded, flying far above Tokyo Tower. Sakura's card followed him. She did not have much raw power; but she had equal power to all nineteen other cards. Hope giggled, and drew herself up to Yue's eye level. She tilted her head, and reached out to touch him lightly on the forehead.

When she did so, the seventeen remaining Star Cards appeared, surrounding them, then, one by one, drifted down to where Sakura was standing, her Wand raised high above her head, and the Book of the Star open and waiting. One by one, each card returned to her.

"I'm taking my Cards back, Yue!" Sakura shouted, her face defiant. However, it quickly softened again. "You come back too, Yue."

The Hope was still touching Yue when his eyes slowly closed, and without a word, his wings covered his entire body, then disappeared, leaving Yukito floating, unconscious, in mid air. The Hope smiled and faded away, her Card drifting to the ground.

"Yukito!" Toya shouted even as Sakura sank to her knees with a sigh of relief.

"Element, come to my aid! Wind!" Syaoran summoned the element, causing it to break Yukito's fall. Unconscious, and without the ability to fly, he was falling fast. As he neared the ground, Toya leaped up and caught him, landing on the roof.

"Yukito…" he said softly.

"Sakura, you did it!" Tomoyo said, jumping up and down. "I just knew you could!"

Smiling softly, Sakura replied, "Thanks, Tomoyo." She looked down at the Hope card she held in her hand. "And thank you," she added softly.

"Sakura!" suddenly Keroberos shouted, running up to her.

"Keroberos!" Sakura threw her arms around the lion's neck. "I'm so happy you're back!"

"Well done, Sakura," came a familiar, and quite relieved, voice. "I never thought that Card would be of any use. It was created only to balance out the others."

Sakura and Syaoran turned to see Eriol walking towards them, a smile on his face. Ruby Moon and Spinnel Sun were behind him, looking thoroughly confused. Sakura smiled. "Oh! Where's Darian?" she gasped, looking around. She saw him laying several feet away. Nearby were his Nova Staff and the Book of the Nova. Timidly, Sakura walked over to him.

Darian seemed to wake suddenly as if from a nightmare. He screamed and sat up, looking around. "The Test… what happened? Where's Yue- my cards!"

"They are not your cards," Sakura said gently, but firmly. "They never were, and they never will be." In that moment, Darian actually seemed afraid of Sakura. She seemed to radiate power; so greatly that Darian for a moment wondered how he had ever been able to fight on even grounds with her.

As if reading his thoughts, Sakura said, "I harbored doubts in my heart and in my mind for many years. Even after I transformed all the Cards and brought Yue and Keroberos as my Guardians. You came at the right moment, the moment when I wanted nothing more than to be someone ordinary, someone who was not special."

Darian sneered. "You're no one special! You think you have enough magic to rival someone of Clow Reed's own family! As long as I have my magic, you're nothing!" But as he reached for his staff, it crumbled into dust at his touch. "What? The Book!" he reached around for the Book, but it too crumbled.

"You have no magic anymore, Darian Reed. It was taken from you the moment you lost your cards to Yue." Sakura glared down at Darian, who stood up to his full height. He was much taller than she was, but as he looked around, and saw all the faces glaring at him, his enemies, he looked very much like a little lost child.

Without saying anything, he ran for the door that would lead down into Tokyo Tower. Syaoran and Keroberos started to cut him off, but Sakura shook her head. "Let him go. He can do no more harm. The Reed family has been diluted and thinned in the centuries since Clow's life. Unlike the Li family, of course," she said with a chuckle.

Sakura turned to Eriol, and slowly approached him. He was incredibly tall; much taller than Toya or Syaoran. "Eriol…"

Eriol smiled. "Nice work, Sakura." There was nothing more they could say to one another. Eriol had never lost faith in Sakura's abilities, even if Sakura had.

The moment was interrupted, however, by the forgotten Toya and Yukito. "Yukito!" Toya shouted. He was crouching there, staring as Yukito transformed into Yue. He stared coolly down at Sakura.

"What happened?" he demanded of Keroberos, who looked thoroughly confused.

"You don't…remember?" The Guardian Beast asked, walking up to Yue, who merely shook his head.

"I knew what was happening up until a certain point, then everything went blank. There seems to be a large part of mine and Yukito's memory missing."

Sakura's eyes were wide, then she smiled. "We won," was all she said. However, even though she smiled, and her words should have summoned enthusiasm and relief, her smile was a sad one, and the words were softly spoken. Yukito was gone again. She could see that Toya was thinking the same thing, as he stood up and dusted himself off, then turned his back on Yue and walked away.

Both Yue and Sakura watched him go. Eriol, Syaoran, Tomoyo and the others stood apart, watching Sakura and the Guardians reunite. Out of the corner of his eye, Eriol saw Toya standing near the edge of Tokyo Tower roof, his hands in his pockets.

Briefly, he glanced to Ruby Moon and Spinel Sun, both of who nodded. Silently, the three departed, without anyone noticing.

* * *

"Are you sure it's wise to leave them, Master?" Spinnel Sun asked.

Eriol smiled. "I have nothing more to say to Sakura. She's finally grown up," he added with a chuckle.

Ruby Moon looked at Eriol. "What are we going to do now?"

"We're going to visit an old friend of mine. A _very_ old friend."

* * *

Sakura walked up to Toya, and placed a hand on his arm. Toya turned to look at her, and for the first time Sakura could ever remember, she saw a melancholic, almost sadness, in her brother's eyes.

"Toya.."

"I'm glad," he said, turning back to look ahead. "You've gotten your powers back. You've grown up, squirt. I'm proud."

Sakura sighed. "I miss Yukito too. But with Yue in control of his body… it's impossible." Then, a thought came to her, and her eyes filled with a determination that Toya knew only too well. "I'm going to get Yukito back! I promise!"

* * *

A/N: It seems a couple of you had guessed already what the last card was! I imagined that the Hope would have to have some sort of power as well; since the Nothing caused things to be erased, I figured the kind of power the Hope had would be similar to the power the Nothing had. Since this card is under Sakura's control, it would gain back the other Star Cards for Sakura instead of from Sakura. That's always what I imagined that card to do!

I'm excited to finally end this story, I hope you'll enjoy the remaining chapters!


	17. Wishes

"Tomoyo, I promise, we'll be back!" Sakura said. Tomoyo said she would stay behind, as this matter did not concern her. She said so with a smile, and hugged Sakura tightly before they left.

Sakura stood in the center, with Keroberos and Yue behind her. Toya and Syaoran stood beside her. She closed her eyes, and her circle appeared beneath the group. Using her wand, she summoned her power; the same power Clow Reed and Eriol used to cross dimensions.

The scenery around them melted completely, causing Toya to gasp. Tokyo Tower disappeared and was replaced with a dark shop. Outside of the shop stood a tall woman with long, black hair, and wearing a robe of bright red and black. She stared at them, as if she knew who they were and why they had come. Behind her stood two young girls, holding hands, and a boy who seemed a few years younger than Toya, but a little older than Sakura and Syaoran. He too had black hair, and wore glasses.

"Welcome, Sakura, Master of the Cards," Yuuko said. Sakura swallowed hard, then stepped forward.

"Yuuko-sama! Can you grant my wish?" she asked.

Yuuko blinked slowly, and looked at Yue first. Then her gaze went to Toya, where she stared for what seemed like a very long time. Finally she returned to Sakura. "The price.. Will be too great for you to pay."

Sakura stepped forward again, brandishing her staff. "Please! I will give you anything, just please return Yukito!"

"If you are serious," Yuuko said, and raised her hand. All of a sudden, the Book of the Star began to glow, and out of it came a card. The group gasped, and Sakura reached out to grab it, but it flew away before she could.

"No!" Shouted Keroberos.

"Silence," Yuuko demanded as the card landed softly in her hand. When it stopped glowing, the group could see the The Hope. "This will pay for most of it, however, there is more. The magic required to do this is very great, and much will be needed to transfer to Yue in order to separate the body, mind, and soul of Yukito." Here she looked expectantly at Toya and Syaoran.

"You two. Your magic is strong, but unnecessary for your own uses. I will require that as well. From Toya, his magic must go to Yukito to sustain him. From Syaoran, who is always protecting Sakura and never will cease, your payment is to give up any claim on her to protect her. A Master of the Cards has but two guardians."

Toya, who had not trusted Eriol, did not trust Yuuko. But, this wish she said she could grant was as much his as it was Sakura's. He looked at her. "I have given up my power once before; if it means Yukito will come back I will gladly pay it."

"And you, boy? What is your answer?"

Syaoran furrowed his brow, glaring at her. He was shaking. "How can you ask that! I will never stop protecting Sakura, I love her! I cannot!"

"I did not ask for your love, I did not ask for your hope or your life together. You must realize that Sakura is Master of the Cards. As Sakura Li, her love for you will never be taken or replaced. But as Master of the Cards, her protection can only be solely in the Guardian Beast and the Judge's hands. That part of your power will go to Yue."

Syaoran finally nodded. "Fine. Take what you want. My only wish is for Sakura to get her wish, and if that is my payment, then so be it."

Yuuko smiled. "Very well then. I have but one more price, and then your wish will be granted." Here she turned back to Sakura. "Sakura. Ever since you completed the Final Judgment, and the test given to you by Clow Reed, you still have walked in his shadow. You must stand up and take charge once and for all. Your final payment will be.. Clow Reed's memories." For dramatic effect, Yuuko stayed silent for a few moments. "Clow Reed has always been there, guiding you, helping you. It is time you give that up. Can you do it? You will not forget who he is, or why he is important. But he can no longer find you, nor you him."

Sakura had stayed silent through this. Her payment was indeed great. But, Yuuko was right. _She_ was Master now, not Clow Reed. She had every right to do what she would with the Cards, so long as they did not fall into evil hands again. And they would not. She stared at Yuuko, and finally nodded. "I will pay.

"Very good." Yuuko held up the Star Card she had received as payment, and instructed Toya, Syaoran, and Yue, to stand in front of her, Toya and Syaoran side by side, and Yue in front of them, forming a triangle. The Star Card began to glow, and wind rose up around the three. Each of them began to glow, Yue glowing the brightest. A stream of light suddenly moved from Syaoran to Yue, and after several moments, Yue's light split in two. The second light moved to stand beside the first, in front of Toya. Just as with Syaoran, a stream of light left Toya and entered the body that was slowly forming.

Sakura and Keroberos gasped. "Yukito!" she said. The light died, and the wind stopped. Toya, Syaoran, and Yukito crumpled to the ground; only Yue remained standing. Syaoran woke just moments later, Toya's eyes opening nearly the same time. Sakura knelt beside Syaoran, who was feeling incredibly weak. Toya's eyes widened.

"Yukito!" he shouted, and went to him, lifting him up. Yukito seemed much older, closer to the age he should have been, but still looked quite young. Before, he had not seemed to age at all, and still looked nineteen, like he had when Yue first appeared. Now he was his right age, the same as Toya's.

Toya shook him gently, and Yukito's eyes fluttered open. He looked around, and then up at Toya. "Hello, Toya.." he said softly. Then he looked at Yue, who stood staring at him, and smiled. "I'm glad it worked." Then he passed out again, causing Toya to smile just slightly.

"Now then. I believe I have done as asked, and my payment has been received."

Keroberos looked at her. "That's it! Everything you took, that is what you call payment?"

Yuuko looked at him. "Quiet, Keroberos," she said softly. "It was not just one wish that was granted. The Hope card was the only thing powerful enough to complete this task, and Sakura was not the one who could do it. It was both Sakura and Toya's wish for Yukito to become his own person again. It was Yue's wish to stay with Sakura, and Yukito's wish to see Toya again. Syaoran himself said his only wish was for Sakura's to come true. Payment was made, and the wish was given. And now I will hold on to this. Payment was neither more, nor less."

Believing nothing more needed to be said, Yuuko waved a hand. "I shall return you to Hong Kong, in your time and place. I know we will meet again, for there are no coincidences in this world." Suddenly the group found themselves surrounded by wind again, much like at Eriol's house. When the scene changed, they were in the Li mansion.

* * *

A/N: Thank you everyone so much for all the kind reviews. It really lifts my spirits so much right now. I'm sorry for this short chapter.. I wasn't feeling too inspired, sadly, and I feel like I may have rushed this a bit and made everything happen too fast. If so, I greatly apologize. Things have been... depressing lately and so reading all these wonderful reviews that keep popping up everyday in my inbox is just... n_n Thank you so much~

So, this is the final chapter. Of course there will be an Epilogue, and after that, fini! I had one person comment that the Hope card's ability was really cool, but I just wanted to remind everyone that I don't think the Hope card actually ever had an ability. It was just a balancer for all the rest of the magic. I just thought it fitting to have a good power that Sakura could make use of. Also, I don't know how the Yue/Yukito thing actually ever happened or resolved in CCS, this is just what I always imagined should have happened.

Thank you again!


	18. Card Master Sakura: Epilogue

Yuuko watched them leave, and then held The Hope out, looking at it. She stroked it lovingly as Watanuki came up behind her. "I agree with Keroberos," he pointed out. "You took quite a bit of payment for that."

"You're wrong, Watanuki. I not only granted Sakura's wish, but the wish of a very dear friend of mine. Both required much payment. And besides, the only payment that came to me was this Card. Syaoran's went to Yue; Toya's to Yukito."

"Who is this friend?"

Yuuko smiled softly as she looked at the card. "Someone very old, and very dear. He asked that I look after this Card for him, because this single card has enough negative magic to balance all the other Cards. Sakura no longer needs it. She needed its power and its support in her darkest hour, when her position as Mistress of the Cards was challenged. Keeping it here will allow it to never be lost or released. He had already paid for his wish."

Yuuko sighed. "His wish was that I take this Card and keep it safe, his payment was he could no longer guide young Sakura through her trials. Sakura's wish was to have Yukito and Yue both, her payment was her reliance on this person, as well as the Card."

"You did that on purpose! So that both wishes could be granted with the exchange of payment." Watanuki was surprised and impressed.

"What? Did you think I was heartless? I am bound by many laws and many magics and I cannot grant a wish without equal payment, but I'm certainly not heartless. Besides, the payment was enough; Sakura needs to learn to stand on her own, Syaoran needs to learn that he cannot be there to protect her wherever she is and whatever happens."

"But you did it in a way so that everyone got what they wanted, and in reality, did not actually give payment."

Yuuko closed her eyes and walked into the store. "Payment was received and wishes were granted. It leveled out, and that is all that matters." she said as she placed the Card inside her tunic. "Besides, Sakura needed to finally realize she is not Clow Reed, but she is the Master. Because Sakura did not know about Clow's wish, that Star Card was just as important to her as anything, and so, it was proper payment."

Watanuki sighed as he followed her into the shop. "Do you want me or Mokona to put the Card in storage?"

Yuuko looked at him. "That won't be necessary," she said. Yuuko was staring at the card, almost lovingly. Suddenly, the card glowed, and while its name and image never changed, the colors reverted back to Clow's colors, red, white, and gold. Yuuko smiled and placed it gently inside her sleeve. "This is something I wish to hang on to myself," she said.

A wind picked up, and Yuuko looked up at the darkening sky. An image of Clow Reed seemed to appear in front of her, and she looked at it, her gaze softened. "We will meet again.. in another lifetime.."

* * *

"Kero, Yue," Sakura said as she stood in front of the large, open window of the mansion. The two came up to her and bowed slightly. "I've decided… what I'm going to do."

Keroberos and Yue exchanged glances. "I've decided… The cards are too dangerous to have any chance of being released each time the Master dies."

"You don't mean…" Keroberos started, a low growl sounding in his throat. Yue merely looked at Sakura, whose back was to them. When she turned around, she was smiling.

"I can't believe you would destroy the cards," Yue said. "I won't believe it!"

Sakura blinked a few times, her eyes wide. Then she burst into laughter, the sound ringing out like bells. Yue and Keroberos looked at her, then at each other. Finally, when she was able to stop, she smiled at them. "No my friends. I could never do that. I don't want to lose you."

Sakura smiled. "I'm going to make it so the Cards are never released again. I can't keep them from doing so after my own death, but when the person with the right heart comes along, the cards will remain sealed, and only ever answer to that person." Sakura walked over to Yue and Keroberos, and crouched down to look Keroberos in the eyes.

"When that person is born, you will awaken again, Kero-chan. Yue," she said, standing up. "You'll awaken as well. So that you two will always be by that person's side. I do not know when the cards will once more be released, but I'm afraid that person will have to go through the same trials I did as Card Captor. Kero-chan, please promise me you'll guide him. He won't want to do it at first, and there will be someone else equally capable of capturing the cards."

Keroberos stared at her. Then, finally, he nodded. Sakura smiled. "Thank you."

"What will happen if he fails?" Yue asked.

"He won't. He's the one who will have the heart to seal the cards forever."

"But, if they're sealed forever-"

"I told you, when the person with the right heart is born, he will transform the cards in such a way that they will be dormant until someone new is born. You two will awaken a few years before each new Master is born, but the cards won't. They will only be able to be used by that person, and they will be born with complete control over the cards."

Keroberos still looked skeptical. "I still don't understand."

Sakura smiled gently. "You will."

* * *

A/N: THE END!

I absolutely love YuukoxClow... I just couldn't not leave this little bit out!

There's a possibility of this being continued in a story I'm planning called "Key of the Heart"... mayhaps, mayhaps not! Tell me what you think, should you like a continuation? It will be an OC/Next gen sort of thing if I do!

Thank you very much for all your kind reviews! I hope you enjoyed my first ever CCS fanfic, and I hope you'll continue to watch me for new stories and new updates! Good bye now, and thank you all so very much for taking care of me and bearing with me during my writing!


	19. Key of the Heart: Prologue

_So, you have finally sensed the right soul. I do hope that this time, your Master's spell will truly set you free._

The broom swept slowly across the stone pathway leading up to the strange house. The wind suddenly picked up, making the young girl cease her sweeping. She seemed to be of a middle-school age, but her eyes seemed to be much older.

"Something's happening," she said quietly to herself. Suddenly, she turned and ran towards the house behind her. "Watanuki-sama!" she shouted. She ran through the house and as she turned a corner, a little white rabbit-like creature appeared bouncing beside her.

"Hi-ya Kiku-ko," it said between bounces. "Where-are-you going?"

"I have to find Watanuki-sama, Mokona," Kikuko said in her monotone voice as she looked beside her. Her pace never slowed.

"Oh-I-see!" Mokona said, enjoying his newfound game. Suddenly, however, he stopped, and though he kept bouncing, did not continue following Kikuko. Taking a deep breath, Mokona shouted, "WATANUKIIIIIII," his high-pitched voice nearly shaking the house. Kikuko stopped running. Beside her, a door opened, revealing a very frazzled-looking Watanuki.

"Can't I get any rest around here?" he asked.

Kikuko bowed to him, but Mokona jumped up in his face. "Watanuki! Watanuki! Watanuki!" Mokona said with each bounce. After a few more, both Kikuko and Watanuki ignored him.

"Were you looking for me, Kikuko?"

"Yes, Watanuki-sama," the girl said. "I feel something strange is happening. It's odd- it is not happening in our dimension, but in another." Kikuko was a strange child. Her unnatural ability to sense other dimensions and time warps was unparalleled, she could sense people who were from other places, and she could easily find a person's counterpart in another dimension without much effort. She could not see spirits or magic, however, the way that Watanuki could. Kikuko was oddly tuned to many dimensions, though her connection was only complete if she saw parts of the world itself.

"I have felt something as well, but I must say I'm not sure what it could be." Watanuki closed his eyes. He concentrated, and power was rising around them. Even Mokona was silent. Then, his eyes opened wide. "It can't be! Kikuko, Mokona, wait here!"

Watanuki ran towards the back of the house, towards the large room that was once Yuuko's. It still was, to the members of the house, at least. It remained untouched, and Watanuki made his own room nearby. Looking around frantically, he walked over to one of Yuuko's dressers, and slowly opened a small drawer. Gently, almost with reverence, he pulled a beautifully carved and painted wooden box. It was quite thin, though long and wide. Watanuki remembered the day Yuuko created the box, the same day that Sakura, Syaoran, Touya, and the Guardians, Yue and Keroberos, appeared before Yuuko asking to separate Yue from his host.

"_Do you want me or Mokona to put the Card in storage?"_

_Yuuko looked at him. "That won't be necessary," she said. Yuuko was staring at the card, almost lovingly. Suddenly, the card glowed, and while its name and image never changed, the colors reverted back to Clow's colors, red, white, and gold. Yuuko smiled and placed it gently inside her sleeve. "This is something I wish to hang on to myself," she said._

_A wind picked up, and Yuuko looked up at the darkening sky. She seemed to be staring at something, her gaze was far away, and Watanuki thought she spoke._

"_Did you say something, Yuuko?" he asked._

"_Of course not. Though I do have special instructions for you. I will place this Card in a special box. It is not something that will stay here forever, eventually this Card will disappear."_

"_But how?"_

"_It is part of Sakura's spell that she will create. She will make it so the Cards can never again be released wild. This Card," she indicated the Hope, "will see to that. It will become like another Guardian, but only at the right times. When this Card disappears, it means events will once again move. The Cards will have to be released, recaptured, and resealed again. You will help this person, I'm sure."_

"_Me? Why me?"_

"_Oh Watanuki, so full of tedious questions."_

"It can't be that time, can it?" Taking a deep breath, Watanuki opened the box. Inside was a note:

_Watanuki-_

_So sorry, I forgot to tell you! The Card already disappeared a good while ago.  
__I didn't feel the need to tell you at the moment and then I just forgot! Oh well,  
events will start moving quickly, I'm sure you can handle it. Good luck! And  
give a big hug to Mokona for me!_

_-Much love,_

_Yuuko_

"Yuuukoooo!" Watanuki growled, crumpling the letter in his fist.

Kikuko and Mokona had come to the doorway, and stood there watching as Watanuki tore up the note and threw the pieces in the air, mumbling the entire time and then stomping on the pieces.

"Watanuki-sama has finally gone over the edge, hasn't he Mokona?" Kikuko asked. As they watched, Watanuki turned and stormed out of the room, his robes flying behind him. As he passed Mokona, he grabbed the animal by the ears.

"Dammit Mokona why didn't you tell me at least? Now I have to find the Card. If I had known when it disappeared I'd know who I'm looking for!"

"Watanuki-sama," Kikuko started to say,

"I mean, how hard is it to let me know?"

"Ah, Watanuki-sama,"

"I'm Master of the House now, don't I deserve a little respect?"

Kikuko sighed and took a deep breath. "WATANUKI-SAMAAA!" Watanuki stopped and turned staring at the middle school girl who rarely ever spoke.

"Yes, Kikuko?"

"I can find this person, if Mokona can share what their soul looks like."

It took a few moments for Watanuki to remember the abilities of this young girl. "That would be wonderful, Kikuko, only, I'm not certain this person has a true soul."

"How can they not have a true soul?"

"It may be a borrowed soul, or not even a human's soul at all. This person is an incarnation of a Star Card."

"But even a Star Card can be felt and sensed, right?"

"Can you find it across dimensions, then?"

"Of course I can, if Mokona can share with me what it feels like." Kikuko took hold of Mokona, whose red gem began to glow as Kikuko closed her eyes. After a few moments, Kikuko opened her eyes. "The Star Card is in Tomoeda in another dimension. It belongs to a child- but I cannot tell if it is a boy or a girl. I can sense the child's spirit only as the Card. But…"

"What is it?"

"That's only part of the energy I sensed earlier."

* * *

A/N:  
Yea, I know I don't deserve you readers. You who had followed, and are still following faithfully Card Master Sakura, for as long as maybe two years? Wow, has it really been that long? Dear me. Well, recently I've been on a writing binge. I am supposed to be writing a literary analysis, but well, things happen and more interesting topics re-surface to write about!

Without any further ado, I present to you the prologue of the sequel to Card Master Sakura, Key of the Heart (aka the Legacy of Sakura). *bows* please take care of me!


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